Muay Thai star Alex Roberts will make his ONE Championship debut in the main event of the promotion’s upcoming event. It is a fantastic feat considering he only started training in ‘the art of eight limbs’ 10 years ago.

On Friday, December 8, the Australian striker will take on Roman Kryklia for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE Fight Night 17. Moreover, the event has an incredible all-Muay Thai card going down at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Early life of Alex Roberts

Roberts is a living testament to the fact that it’s never too late to start something new. As a young child, he wanted to pursue martial arts after watching the movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme. However, his parents never supported the hobby, as he often got into trouble.

Thus, his dream didn’t become a reality until he was older and able to make his own decisions. “At 24, just playing around, I started Muay Thai. I was probably just getting into a bit too much trouble out and about. I felt like this was a sport that I could be very good at. And, it’s a great outlet to get some of that young male ego out of the system,” he told ONE in an interview.

“I went into the gym, and as soon as I walked into Synergy and Thai Boxing Pit, it was love at first sight,” he continued.

Alex Roberts chose Muay Thai over boxing

Further, he revealed how the combat sports star found Muay Thai. “I went into the boxing class first before the Muay Thai, and there were ten-punch combos going on,” he said. “Then I looked over to the other side and saw Blair Smith and the boys just going hard with the kick, knee, elbow. It was a bit more brutal and a little bit more simple, and I thought, ‘That style is the one for me,’” he added.

After trying out Muay Thai firsthand, a burning desire to compete was awakened in him. While others enjoy learning techniques or the fitness aspect of training, ‘The Viking’ immediately wanted to test himself against the best.

“Straight away, I knew I wanted to be a fighter. I wanted to get in the ring and test myself. It’s something that is very primal – some men just have that want to compete,” Roberts said. “I love competing, and I love competing against the best. There’s no better feeling in the world than winning.”

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Having risen through the sport and claimed greatness by becoming the WBC Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion, Roberts has a chance to announce himself in ONE in perfect style by claiming a prestigious belt in the world’s largest martial arts organization. Fans in North America can check out the historic ONE Fight Night 17 card live and for free on Amazon Prime Video on December 8.