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ONE strawweight Muay Thai striker ‘Barbie’ Ekaterina Vandaryeva believed she could beat fiery up-and-comer Martyna Kierczynska when no one else did.
A true veteran of the sport, Vandaryeva used her experience to garner an upset victory over her Polish opponent this past Friday at ONE Fight Night 20.
In the build-up to their fight, the 21-year-old Kierczynska was coming in as the favorite. She extended her undefeated streak to five last month, after demolishing Nat ‘Wondergirl’ Jaroonsak in her promotional debut at ONE Fight Night 19.
Meanwhile, the odds for ‘Barbie’ Vandaryeva weren't as good. Despite solid outings, Vandaryeva fell short in her first four matches. But that all changed last week.
As the Belarusian expected, Kierczynska came in aggressive and fast, putting pressure on her almost immediately. Vandaryeva, however, bided her time until capitalizing on a pivotal situation.
‘Barbie’ landed a good right hand to score a knockdown against Kierczynska, who had entered the pocket with her usual flurry of punching combinations.
That knockdown sealed the victory for the Belarusian striker after three high-paced rounds. Proud of her achievements, Vandaryeva reminded fans in her post-fight interview to trust in the unpredictability of fights rather than the hype surrounding a fighter. She said:
“There was a lot of hype around Martyna before the fight but at the same time, we can’t forget that this is martial arts. The hype doesn't really matter, the fight matters because fights can go in a random direction. They can go in any direction and sometimes when you have a fighter that’s not the strongest but has an awkward style, it can be hard to fight against. “
The replay of ONE Fight Night 20 is available free on demand for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Ekaterina Vandaryeva receives huge praise from fans following pivotal win over Poland’s “new star”
Ekaterina Vandaryeva fans took to Instagram this week to praise her recent victory on International Women’s Day.
The 33-year-old veteran riled up the fans with the caption that read:
“I came to Thailand and dealt with the new star from Poland Martina Kerchinskaya 😤 Unanimous decision of the judges in favor of our Barbie after 3 rounds! Made myself a great gift for March 8, it works 🙃.”
To which the fans responded:
