Main Event Set For ONE Fight Night 17

“It’s a different caliber of fighter than you’re seeing in the United States. American fans have not been exposed to this level of striking, at least not yet. You’re going to be truly blown away on December 8.”

ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video will be an exclusively all Muay Thai card, Sports Illustrated has learned.

The card, which airs December 8 on Prime Video, has also secured its headline bout.

The ONE Fight Night 17 main event is Roman Kryklia against Alex Roberts for the inaugural heavyweight Muay Thai championship.

The fight will mark Roberts’ debut in ONE. For Kryklia, who is ONE’s reigning Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion and Heavyweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Champion, it is a chance to extend his dominance into Muay Thai.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong detailed the significance of this main event.

“ONE Championship allows our athletes to become multi-sport world champions simultaneously,” said Sityodtong. “Roman is the best heavyweight kickboxer on the planet today, and now he’s stepping into an entirely different rule set. That’s the beauty of our platform, and it’s also a testament to his greatness.”

ONE Fight Night 17 takes place at Bangkok’s famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, and the all-Muay Thai card also features a bantamweight bout pitting Felipe Lobo against Saemapetch Fairtex, a flyweight pairing of Edgar Tabares against Johan Ghazali, and a catchweight fight matching Thongpoon PK Saenchai against Ellis Barboza. While largely unknown to fans in the US, this is a massive opportunity for these fighters to break new ground.

This is a truly global Muay Thai card, which aligns with a significant point of emphasis within ONE to build its Muay Thai audience among fight fans in the United States. ONE Fight Night 17–with a number of elite strikers–should be an outstanding first step in achieving that goal.

“American fans will get to see the world’s greatest strikers on the planet,” said Sityodtong. “This will be monster knockouts, elite martial arts, and knockouts that are so good they’ll be addicting.

“It’s a different caliber of fighter than you’re seeing in the United States. American fans have not been exposed to this level of striking, at least not yet. You’re going to be truly blown away on December 8.”

After an extremely successful maiden voyage earlier this year, ONE Championship returns to the US four times in 2024.

“We have a truly unique, differentiated product that does not exist in America,” said Sityodtong. “Our brand ethos and DNA is 180 degrees opposite that of the UFC. I’m excited for our US expansion, and I know our fans are excited, too.”