Now just days away from his shot at two-sport glory, reigning ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia also has big plans to build an empire of martial arts centers.
This Friday in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video, the towering Ukrainian will square off with Australian bruiser Alex “The Viking” Roberts for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Title.
That clash of titans will headline ONE’s historic all-Muay Thai card at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
While Krylia has spent the past several weeks in the depths of a rigorous training camp, he’s also made time for the opening of his new state-of-the-art gym.
Named Champ Belts by Gridin and located in Dubai, the facility is the product of a year’s worth of planning and six months of construction.
The 32-year-old knockout artist told onefc.com:
“My team and I have been planning to do this for a long time. A year ago, our friend and now a business partner said that he had the same dream – to open a fight gym.
“We started working on it a year ago, and it’s been six months since the project started to take shape. Today, we have opened it, and everything is ready.”
Kyrklia isn’t the only ONE Championship superstar behind the project. Joining him is reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Chingiz “Chinga” Allazov – a man widely regarded as the planet’s top pound-for-pound kickboxer.
The two titleholders chose Dubai, with its rapidly expanding business scene and wealth of surrounding Middle Eastern talent, as a home for the gym and for their own future training camps.
Kryklia said:
“Dubai is now a very promising city, a center where everyone is flocking to. It offers a great deal of opportunities for developing in all areas of business. Now, we will be based mostly here. It will be our training base for future fights.”
With two full-size rings, 15 heavy bags, a recovery treatment room, and even a sports bar, the massive gym looks to be a destination for both elite fighters and martial arts hobbyists.
Moreover, Kryklia’s plans for Champ Belts don’t stop in Dubai. He hopes to expand the name globally and develop martial arts hubs around the world:
“We have big plans to make a worldwide network of combat gyms, to create a brand. I will not talk much about it now. Once this new project starts to take shape, we will come back to this topic, and I will reveal more details. We plan to make a bigger, better global network of combat gyms.”
Kryklia Says New Gym Aims To ‘Popularize Our Sport’
Given the involvement of kickboxing kings Roman Kryklia and Chingiz Allazov, it’s no surprise that Champ Belts places an extra focus on striking.
But the Ukrainian also recognizes the exponential growth of submission grappling around the planet, ushered in by fellow ONE World Champions Mikey “Darth Rigatoni” Musumeci, Kade Ruotolo, and Tye Ruotolo.
To that end, he says his new gym will cater to grappling enthusiasts, as well:
“The emphasis is on kickboxing, Thai boxing, and classic boxing, but we also want to promote grappling. It’s gaining momentum now, and we will have some awesome grappling coaches.”
Still, Kryklia’s ultimate goal with Champ Belts is to grow the sport of striking.
He says the gym will bring in world-class instructors, offering training for established World Champions like himself and “Chinga,” as well as newcomers trying martial arts for the first time.
He added:
“One of the main objectives of opening this gym is to popularize our sport. Everyone who wants to learn kickboxing and Thai boxing will find a place there. People who have some experience in martial arts and top pro athletes will have something for them, too.
“We will organize seminars, training camps, and masterclasses. We are focused on different clients – from sports enthusiasts to pro athletes. The atmosphere in the gym is very lively. We do both individual training and group training – it’s a big project, and we have high hopes for the future.”
