Romie Kris Adanza (born August 1, 1979) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

division. Known for his good boxing skills and aggressive fighting style, he began his career as a

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

, winning the

WBC Muaythai WBC may stand for: Business *Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, a former large India broadcaster now folded into CBS *Westpac (New Delhi Exchange code: WBC), a multinational Financial services company *Wholesale Broadband Connect, BT Wholesale's ...

International Featherweight Championship before dropping down to

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

and having even more success by taking the WBC Muaythai national title and the IKKC International Super Bantamweight belt. After one final weight class change down to flyweight, he won another WBC International crown before becoming the MTAA World Flyweight Champion.

Early life

Adanza was born of

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

descent in Houston, Texas on August 1, 1979. In his youth, he lived in China and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

before settling in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He took up

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

at twenty-one years old, before turning to Muay Thai five years later.

Career

Early in his career, Adanza

outpoint Outpoint is a term frequently used in boxing to describe a situation in which one boxer is awarded more points than his or her opponent by the judges, but does not knock out that opponent. Notes

Boxing terminology Kickboxing terminology { ...

ed future American great Kevin Ross at

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

on March 25, 2005. On September 24, 2005, he defeated Kim Morris via

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...

in the first round in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

. He won the

International Featherweight (-57.153 kg/126 lb) Championship before dropping down to

. In his new-found weight division, Adanza soon won both the International Karate Kickboxing Council (IKKC) International Super Bantamweight Muay Thai title and the WBC Muaythai United States Bantamweight (-53.524 kg/118 lb) strap. He retained both of these titles against Paulo da Silva at the

Las Vegas Hilton The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino, and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel, and wa ...

in Las Vegas on July 25, 2009. Adanza pelted da Silva with kicks to the leg throughout the fight before scoring a knockdown via low kick in the third round. Adanza finished off Silva 26 seconds into the fourth after Silva could not continue following another low kick knockdown. Fighting for his third international title, Adanza took on Kunitaka Fujiwara for the WBC Muaythai International Super Bantamweight (-55.338 kg/122 lb) belt on December 5, 2009 in

Primm, Nevada Primm (formerly known as State Line) is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 where it crosses the state border between California and Nevada. It sits on ...

. Fujiwara struck Adanza with

elbows The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...

throughout the fight, causing cuts on his head and forcing the referee to stop the bout in round four. Adanza took a controversial split decision over Andy Howson in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

in April 2010. He made another defence of his IKKC title on October 2, 2010 in

Pala, California Pala is a small, mostly Native Americans in the United States, Native American, community and census-designated place, CDP located in the Pala Indian Reservation, located within San Diego County, California, San Diego County, California. For cen ...

. Adanza was initially scheduled to face Haigang Huang. However, Huang pulled out from the fight and was replaced by Paulo da Silva, setting up a fourth meeting between the pair. Adanza won via

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

to lead their rivalry at 3-1. Adanza featured in a four-man, 122 lb tournament in

Haikou Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the ...

, China beginning on December 18, 2010. At the semi-final stage, he was drawn against Paulo da Silva for the fifth time and defeated his rival once again by unanimous decision. On the tournament's second day, Adanza went into the final against Li Ning. After fighting for five rounds, Adanza lost a unanimous decision. On May 28, 2011, Adanza defended his IKKC International title against Thanit Watthanaya in

. After two close rounds, he was able to knockout Thanit with a

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such a ...

in the third. In

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

on June 26, 2011, he defeated Huang Hai Gong by unanimous decision to win the WBC Muaythai International Featherweight (-57.153 kg/126 lb) belt. He was set to face Damien Trainor in Primm, Nevada on August 20, 2011 but was forced to pull out of the fight due to a hip injury sustained in his bout with Huang. Adanza then beat Shuichi Wentz via unanimous decision in Pala, California on September 24, 2011. He followed this up with a fourth-round KO of Langsuanlek Sasiprapa on October 21, 2011 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to win his first

world title A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, the Muay Thai Association of America (MTAA) World Flyweight Championship. At Korakuen Hall in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan on February 18, 2012, he beat Tomonori Sato via TKO due to a cut in the second round to win the WBC Muaythai International Super Flyweight (-52.163 kg/115 lb) Championship. He was then expected to rematch Sato in a non-title fight on May 12, 2012 in Las Vegas, but Sato was replaced by Thanit Watthanaya to set up another rematch. Thanit was able to take his revenge this time, winning a close split decision. Following this, Adanza signed a contract with historic kickboxing promotion K-1 and was initially slated to debut inside the organization with a second bout with Andy Howson at the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles This is a list of events held in 2012 by K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final 16 ''K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final 16'' was a kickboxing event promoted b ...

'' on September 8, 2012. Howson sustained a broken foot and nose in his previous fight with Nobuchika Terado, however, and was unable to fight. Therefore, another fighter familiar to Adanza in the form of Shuichi Wentz took his place. Just twenty-three seconds into the fight, Wentz countered a right punch by Adanza with a right high kick that sent Adanza crashing to the canvas, knocking him out ultra-violently. He challenged Jomhod Eminent Air for the WBC Super Flyweight (55.338 kg/ 122 lb) world title at ''M-One: Reborn'' in

Highland, California Highland (and neighboring "East Highlands") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population of the city was 53,104 as of the 2010 census, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census. The term ''Highland'' also refers to a geo ...

on May 16, 2013 and lost via TKO due to a cut in round one. Adanza had his rubber match with Thanit Watthanaya at ''WCK Muay Thai: King's Birthday Celebration 2013'' in Inglewood, California on December 7, 2013 and stopped his Thai foe with a second round body shot. He fought to a draw with Franck Gross at ''WCK Muay Thai: Cali 4'' in Los Angeles on April 19, 2014.

Championships and awards

Kickboxing

*International Karate Kickboxing Council **IKKC International Super Bantamweight Muay Thai Championship **IKKC Intercontinental Featherweight Championship *Muay Thai Association of America **MTAA World Flyweight Championship *

World Boxing Council Muaythai In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

**WBC Muaythai International Super Flyweight (-52.163 kg/115 lb) Championship **WBC Muaythai United States Bantamweight (-53.524 kg/118 lb) Championship **WBC Muaythai United States Featherweight (-57.153 kg/126 lb) Championship **WBC Muaythai International Featherweight (-57.153 kg/126 lb) Championship *World Championship Kickboxing Muay Thai **WCK Muay Thai Super Bantamweight (-55 kg/122 lb) Tournament Runner-up

Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 2015-07-31 , , Win , , align=left, Daniel McGowan , , Lion Fight 23 , ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corporation, i ...

, US , , TKO (cut) , , 3 , , 2:19 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2014-04-19 , , Loss , , align=left,

Franck Gross Franck Gross (born 26 February 1988) is a French kickboxer who has been professionally competing since 2011. He is the current WAKO Bantamweight World K1 Champion and the current ISKA Oriental Rules Featherweight champion. He is the former ...

, , WCK Muay Thai: Cali 4 , ,

, US , , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2013-12-07 , , Win , , align=left, Thanit Watthanaya , , WCK Muay Thai: King's Birthday Celebration 2013 , , Inglewood, California, US , , KO (left hook to the body) , , 2 , , , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2013-05-16 , , Loss , , align=left, Jomhod Eminentair , , M-One: Reborn , ,

, US , , TKO (cut) , , 1 , , 1:21 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2012-09-08 , , Loss , , align=left, Shuichi Wentz, ,

, ,

, US , , KO (right high kick) , , 1 , , 0:23 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2012-05-12 , , Loss , , align=left, Thanit Watthanaya , , Lion Fight: Battle in the Desert VI , ,

, US , , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2012-02-18 , , Win , , align=left, Tomonori Sato , , NJKF: Kick to the Future 1 , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, , TKO (cut) , , 2 , , 0:19 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-10-21 , , Win , , align=left, Langsuanlek Sasiprapa , , M-One Muay Thai: Team Thailand vs. Team USA , ,

, US , , KO (right uppercut) , , 4 , , 0:31 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-09-24 , , Win , , align=left, Shuichi Wentz , , WCK Muay Thai , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-06-26 , , Win , , align=left, Huang Hai Gong , , WCK Muay Thai , ,

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-05-28 , , Win , , align=left, Thanit Watthanaya , , WCK Muay Thai: Road to WCK , ,

, US , , KO (left knee) , , 3 , , 0:19 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2010-12-19 , , Loss , , align=left, Li Ning , , WCK Muay Thai Super Bantamweight Tournament, Final , , Haikou, China , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-12-18 , , Win , , align=left, Paulo da Silva , , WCK Muay Thai Super Bantamweight Tournament, Semi Finals , , Haikou, China , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-10-02 , , Win , , align=left, Paulo da Silva , , WCK World Championship Muay Thai , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2010-04-03 , , Win , , align=left, Andy Howson , , Muay Thai in America , ,

, US , , Decision (split) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2009-12-05 , , Loss , , align=left, Kunitaka Fujiwara , , WCK Muay Thai: King's Birthday , ,

, US , , TKO , , 4 , , 2:23 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2009-07-25 , , Win , , align=left, Paulo da Silva , , WCK World Championship Muay Thai , ,

, US , , KO (low kick) , , 4 , , 0:26 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2008-07-26 , , Loss , , align=left, Paulo da Silva , , WCK World Championship Muay Thai , ,

, US , , TKO , , 1 , , 2:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2007-11-29 , , Win , , align=left, Hidemaru , , WCK: Full Rules Muay Thai , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2007-09-08 , , Win , , align=left, Hidemaru , , World Championship Muay Thai , , Gardena, California, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2005-09-24 , , Win , , align=left, Kim Morris , , Adrenaline III , ,

, US , , TKO , , 1 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2005-03-25 , , Win , , align=left, Kevin Ross , , , ,

, US , , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2005-02-05 , , Win , , align=left, William Villanueva , , , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2004-09-11 , , Win , , align=left, Antonio de la Cruz (kickboxer), Antonio de la Cruz] , , , ,

, US , , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Official K-1 profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adanza, Romie Living people 1979 births American male kickboxers Kickboxers from California Flyweight kickboxers Bantamweight kickboxers Featherweight kickboxers American Muay Thai practitioners People from Irvine, California American sportspeople of Filipino descent