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Two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder is set to return to the ONE circle on July 22 to defend his middleweight belt against former world champion Vitaly Bigdash.
As the main event of ONE 159, fans will be treated to a grappler’s delight when the two clash for the first time ever.
Bigdash secured his opportunity to regain the middleweight world title with three straight victories, the most recent one coming at ONE: Full Circle in February.
Bigdash defeated longtime rival Aung La N Sang via unanimous decision in a highly entertaining trilogy bout.
Speaking to ONE Championship, Aung La N Sang gave his thoughts on the upcoming showdown between his most recent opponent and ‘The Dutch Knight.’
“This is a very, very close fight. I can’t really [give a prediction]. It’s a coin toss because if RDR is on point, and if he’s able to close the distance real quick and get on top, I don’t think Bigdash would be able to fight him off because he will stick to him like glue.”
On the other hand, Aung La N Sang believes that if Bigdash can impose his will and get Reinier de Ridder’s back on the mat, there will be little ‘The Dutch Knight’ can do to reverse his position:
“And vice-versa, if Bigdash is on top, I don’t see RDR sweeping him or submitting him from the bottom. It really depends on who’s able to impose their game plan."
Aung La N Sang believes Vitaly Bigdash will have the striking advantage over Reinier de Ridder
With both fighters more than proficient on the ground, it could come down to who fares better on their feet. With 15 combined submissions across 27 victories in their pro-MMA careers, both fighters could opt to throw hands.
If that happens, Aung La N Sang believes it will favor the Russian challenger:
“But I give a striking edge to Bigdash, for sure, and the grappling edge to Reinier. so it really depends on who’s able to better use the takedowns.”
Bigdash is certainly no stranger to fighting on the world’s biggest stage. The Russian spent 633 days as the ONE middleweight world champion, defeating Igor Svirid at ONE: Tigers of Asia in October 2015 to first claim the belt.
Bigdash would rule the division until June 2017 when he would lose the belt to Aung La at ONE: Light of a Nation. However, the Russian got his revenge on ‘The Burmese Python’ in February, which earned him the opportunity to regain the middleweight world title.
Undefeated in mixed martial arts, Reinier De Ridder defeated then-world champion Aung La N Sang at ONE: Inside the Matrix in October 2020. Six months later, he would face him once again at ONE on TNT 4, this time for the ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship.
Interestingly, Ridder scored a unanimous decision to claim his second ONE World title, cementing his legacy as a two-division titleholder. ‘The Dutch Knight’ looks to continue that legacy when he faces Bigdash at ONE 159 on July 22.
