![Vitaly Bigdash (L) feels confident ahead of his clash with Reinier de Ridder (R) at ONE 159. | [Photos: ONE Championship]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/d2eb1-16575456841729-1920.jpg)
![Vitaly Bigdash (L) feels confident ahead of his clash with Reinier de Ridder (R) at ONE 159. | [Photos: ONE Championship]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Vitaly Bigdash is ready to rock with his striking as he prepares for his clash against Reinier de Ridder at ONE 159. The hulking Russian is set to challenge de Ridder for the ONE middleweight world title at the July 22 event happening inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
ONE Championship recently shared a training video of Bigdash at Tiger Muay Thai as he showed off his striking prowess during pad work. The caption reads:
“Vitaly Bigdash is ready to OUTSTRIKE 👊 double-champ Reinier de Ridder and claim the middlweight throne on July 22 at ONE 159! 🏆 @vitaly_bigdash”
Bigdash has six submissions and four TKOs in his 12 professional MMA wins, which is a testament to his versatility in finding ways to finish his opponent on any given night.
The Russian revealed in an interview with ONE Championship that he’s ready to finish de Ridder in any given way when they face each other, even if the need to throw hands arises.
It appears Bigdash is ready to trade leather, judging by the short video clip above.
Meanwhile, de Ridder is undefeated in 15 matches in MMA. 10 of his wins have come via submission, while three have come via TKO. On paper, it looks like de Ridder is more comfortable on the ground, but that will only be proven when the two men square off in the circle.
Vitaly Bigdash staking his three-bout win streak at ONE 159
Vitaly Bigdash has taken the long road back to world title contention after losing the ONE middleweight world title to Aung La N Sang back in 2017.
That defeat snapped a nine-fight career win streak for Bigdash, and lost him his coveted gold belt. Things did not get better in his next fight as he absorbed another loss, this time against a hard-hitting grappler in Leandro Ataides.
The Russian warrior’s climb back to the top has been riddled with injuries, uncontrollable circumstances, and the global pandemic. However, he persevered through it all to collect three straight wins in the circle.
At ONE 159, Bigdash has the chance to bring a fairytale ending to his challenging journey back on top of the division.
Both Reinier de Ridder and Vitaly Bigdash will come into their contest carrying impressive win streaks, but only one of them will leave the circle with that momentum intact.
