Romie Kris Adanza (born August 1, 1979) is an American

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

who competes in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

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, ...

, winning the

WBC Muaythai The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

International Featherweight Championship before dropping down to

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

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 descent in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, on August 1, 1979. In his youth, he lived in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

before settling in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He took up

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

at twenty-one years old, before turning to

five years later.

Career

Early in his career, Adanza outpointed future American great Kevin Ross at

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, 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 striking, a ...

in the first round in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

. 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 was ...

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 town in Clark County, Nevada, United States, primarily notable for its position straddling Interstate 15 at the Nevada–California border. It sits on Ivanpah Dry Lake, which extends to ...

. Fujiwara struck Adanza with elbows 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 A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split de ...

over Andy Howson in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, in April 2010. He made another defence of his IKKC title on October 2, 2010, in Pala, California. 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; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, 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. ...

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 Pala, California. After two close rounds, he was able to

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 striking, ...

Thanit with a

knee strike A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike (attack), 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. ...

in the third. In

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

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, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, to win his first world title, the Muay Thai Association of America (MTAA) World Flyweight Championship. At

Korakuen Hall is a sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with a capacity of approximat ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, 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 Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

promotion

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

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'' 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 (inc. East Highlands) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States located 65 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles and roughly 50 miles west of Palm Springs, California. The city's population, inclusive to its neighbor ...

, 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 Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, 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 The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...

**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

Fight record

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

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, 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 corpora ...

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

, 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, , K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Los Angeles , ,

, 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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

Manila, Philippines Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is ...

, , 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 , , Pala, California, 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 , , Pala, California, 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 male Muay Thai practitioners Sportspeople from Irvine, California American sportspeople of Filipino descent