Lyndon Knowles challenges for Muay Thai heavyweight world championship reside on Sky Sports activities | WWE Information

Britain’s Lyndon Knowles challenges Ukrainian powerhouse Roman Kryklia for the ONE heavyweight Muay Thai world title, reside on Sky Sports activities.

Knowles is coming into ONE Championship, the world’s largest platform for martial arts, for the primary time. However he’s the WBC’s heavyweight Muay Thai champion and vastly skilled within the sport. He is had 98 fights in his profession.

“For me, it is the head now of Thai boxing and that is the place I need to be, particularly now,” he instructed Sky Sports activities. “It is a great way to log out after 20 years within the sport.

“I really feel like I’ve bought the solutions and the upset’s coming.”

Knowles is a vibrant character, immediately recognisable for his lengthy, curling moustache and brilliant bowler hat.

Dealing with Kryklia, who boasts an impeccable ONE report of six wins, 5 by knockout, presents a frightening problem.

“He is formidable,” Knowles mentioned. “His strengths are he is bought that knockout energy in his punches and he is bought these devastating knees.

“I can shut the gap so he cannot get off the lengthy hooks. I can work across the knees, catch them and parry them to trigger my very own devastating impact with some elbows or punches.

“It isn’t a simple process I’ve bought and I am nicely conscious of that.”

Knowles, skilled by his brother Christian, isn’t any stranger to the ONE Championship atmosphere, having supported gym-mates like Jonathan Haggerty from the nook. “We are the health club that makes the unimaginable potential,” he mentioned.

Knowles has left no stone unturned in his preparation. His current coaching camp in Las Vegas with UFC’s Khalil Rountree helped him regulate to ONE’s smaller gloves and refine his hanging.

“Fortunately, this camp I have been out in Las Vegas with Khalil Rountree from the UFC, and he is a professional in preventing in little gloves.”

“It is helped me work on my defence that’s completely totally different now in small gloves and in addition my offence as a result of now you can hearth pictures from totally different angles, and they’re going to sneak by means of individuals’s guards simpler. It has been completely unbelievable out right here in Vegas.”

Regardless of Kryklia’s devastating energy and vary, Knowles stays assured in his capacity to disrupt the Ukrainian’s rhythm and dethrone the champion.

“My model within the ring is I am a stress fighter, I like to come back ahead. I do know I’ve bought to be slightly bit intelligent with this time as a result of he is bought some nice lengthy knees,” he mentioned. “I similar to to entertain. That is who I’m as an individual.

“I am undoubtedly wanting ahead to proving lots of people improper,” he continued. “It is undoubtedly not going to go 5 rounds.”

For Knowles, this is not simply one other struggle – it is a career-defining second on Muay Thai’s grandest stage as he seems to shake up the heavyweight division and declare the throne in emphatic trend.

‘I destroyed myself’

The thrilling card topped by Kryklia vs Knowles additionally options bantamweight title challenger Nico Carrillo stepping as much as featherweight to tackle Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

Scotland’s “King of the North” Carrillo goes straight into a tough struggle after a punishing loss to Nabil Anane for the Interim Muay Thai title.

However Carrillo is reinvigorated by the transfer up in weight and searching ahead to taking over Sitthichai.

“He is a legend. You possibly can say he is in all probability the most effective kickboxers of our trendy period,” Carrillo instructed Sky Sports activities.

Reflecting on the loss to Anane, he mentioned: “It was only a horrible expertise and it needed to occur within the largest alternative of my life.

“For my part I used to be beat 24 hours earlier than I stood within the ring. and it was on the scales. I destroyed myself.”

Although he added: “It is exhausting [to move out of the division] once you’re getting a gold belt waved in your face… I used to be completely blinded by it. Now I’ve hit a wee reset button

“Let’s benefit from the course of, let’s examine what occurs, one struggle at a time.”

Forward of this struggle he is additionally spent a while teaching combined martial arts legend Georges St-Pierre.

“I really took him by means of slightly Muay Thai session,” Carrillo mentioned. “Simply doing a little drills and educating him some cool Muay Thai methods.

“Even for me I am studying in Muay Thai daily. For an MMA man, it’s actually two totally different worlds.

“Muay Thai’s so intricate, it is a totally different sport from any, in my view with regards to hanging.”

Watch Kryklia vs Knowles reside on Sky Sports activities Combine from 1am