Aung La N Sang believes Vitaly Bigdash deviated from strategy vs. Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder showed once again why he is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world in the main event of ONE 159 in July. The two-division world champion successfully defended his ONE middleweight world title with a first-round submission of former champion Vitaly Bigdash.

Giving his thoughts on the contest is two-time Reinier de Ridder opponent Aung La N Sang. Speaking to ONE Championship, ‘The Burmese Python’ believes Bigdash made a big mistake going for a guillotine choke early on in the contest.

“Vitaly said he's going to break his nose, so I didn't think he was going to go for the guillotine. I think it was a big error on Vitaly's part as far as the game plan goes, to try to choke a high-level grappler who's been in that position many, many times. So, it's not what I expected.

Just seconds into the bout, ‘The Dutch Knight’ found himself in a bit of trouble as he moved in for a takedown, giving Bigdash the opening to lock in a guillotine.

Pulling guard, the Russian challenger appeared to be moments away from being victorious, but Reinier de Ridder had no intentions of giving up that easy. 'The Dutch Knight' was able to pull himself out of danger and finished Bigdash with an inverted triangle choke in the first round:

“I expected him to keep it on their feet. And it wasn't like, we didn't even get to see Vitaly's takedown defense or anything like that. We didn't even get to see the takedown of RDR; it's just that he pulled guard. It's not a good move to do on a high-level jiu-jitsu guy. But he made a mistake, and he paid for it. So at this level, you can't make even the slightest mistake.”

Watch the showdown between Vitaly Bigdash and Reinier de Ridder below:

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Reinier de Ridder returns to the circle at ONE on Prime Video 3

On October 21, Reinier de Ridder returns to the circle to once again defend his middleweight world championship. This time, he meets Russian knockout artist Shamil Abdulaev. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, don’t worry. Many fans may not be familiar with the Vladivostok, Russia native, but that will change this fall.

Making his ONE Championship debut, Abdulaev will be thrust to the front of the line to test his skills against the undefeated dual-world champion. With knockout power and wrestling skills to match, Abdulaev could be the most well-rounded opponent ‘The Dutch Knight’ has ever faced.

Known for his devastating leg kicks, Abdulaev has a 54% finishing rate across 13 total victories. Facing an opponent with the skills and experience of Reinier de Ridder will be a big leap in competition for the debuting Russian, but it’s a task he is more than ready to tackle.

Check out some of De Ridder's highlights in ONE Championship below: