'%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)
Former ONE world champion Vitaly Bigdash will challenge two-division ONE world champion Reinier 'The Dutch Knight' de Ridder for the middleweight belt in the main event at ONE 159 on July 22.
Bigdash has had a very rough and tumultuous journey back to the top of the division.
After dropping his belt to former double champ Aung La N Sang in 2017, Bigdash was knocked out for the first time in his career by Leandro Ataides. After devastating back-to-back losses, Bigdash returned to the circle in 2018, compiling a strong three-fight winning streak.
The streak included an overhauled grappling game, two submission wins, and a trilogy-winning fight against his rival Aung La. Even with his strong wins, however, Bigdash sees himself as the underdog against undefeated ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Reinier de Ridder.
'The Dutcgh Knight' has been nothing but dominant in all of his fights in ONE, barely finding himself in any trouble at all. The BJJ-based MMA fighter has been near-perfect with his utilization of his offensive grappling barrage that has overwhelmed even the greatest of champions on the roster.
If Bigdash is to overcome this hulking obstacle, it's not enough to just "keep the fight standing." Everyone tried that and everyone failed. He has to do something different.
Today, we look at possible way for Bigdash to upset Reinier de Ridder at ONE 159. We watched all the fights between the main event combatants and broke it down systematically
#3. Vitaly Bigdash has to attack Reinier de Ridder with his own wrestling
One difference we've noticed between Bigdash and De Ridder's grappling games is their takedown entries. De Ridder prefers a BJJ-based attack, often going for a single-leg takedown to a body lock. 'The Dutch Knight' has had tremendous success with his single-leg entries chiefly because of his southpaw stance.
Since he mostly fought orthodox fighters, de Ridder can easily snatch their front legs because they're on the same side as his front leg.
Vitaly Bigdash, on his end, has a more freestyle wrestling-centric takedown game, often going for blast doubles or sneaky double-leg takedowns. One thing Vitaly Bigdash can do is go for a stepping combination, switch to southpaw, and go for a double leg takedown. Switching to southpaw also nullifies de Ridder's single-leg entry as Bigdash's front leg will be on the other side.
We've never seen anyone try to purposely attack de Ridder with their own grappling and if Bigdash does this, he can make the defending champion work on something he hasn't encountered yet inside the circle.
We also haven't seen de Ridder find much success fighting off of his back and that's something Bigdash can exploit.
#2. Vitaly Bigdash has to push Reinier de Ridder on his backpedal
Easier said than done, of course. Reinier de Ridder has a significant size advantage over Bigdash, towering at 6'4", and has a naturally beefier frame. This doesn't mean, however, that Bigdash cannot push the champion and make him fight while moving backwards.
When Leandro Ataides fought de Ridder, the fight was quite close. Ataides was able to negate de Ridder's single-leg entries and was able to push him backward using his punching combinations. Like most taller fighters, 'The Dutch Knight' tends to lean back with his chin up when defending punches from a shorter opponent.
Vitaly Bigdash has a faster, cleaner punching technique than the wild slugger Ataides. With de Ridder more dominant when he's walking his opponents down, pushing the Dutchman on his backpedal can make him feel uncomfortable.
Vitaly Bigdash needs to immediately take the center of the circle and stalk the champion with his striking and takedown entries, keeping him on the defensive. This can cause de Ridder to go for a desperate takedown that can be easily stuffed so Bigdash can land on top or get back on his feet.
#1. Vitaly Bigdash has to be threatening on the ground, especially off of his back
One thing that Reinier de Ridder's opponents have in common is that once they get taken down, their main goal is to do everything to stand back up. One thing they don't do, however, is attack off their backs. With this singular approach to the ground game, de Ridder only has to worry about their attempts to get back up, not potential submission attempts.
If Vitaly Bigdash can manage to make de Ridder tentative on the ground and worry about potential sweep or submission attempts, then he can effectively nullify the champion's overwhelming top pressure.
This is the main hurdle all challengers face against de Ridder and this is one key to victory that's vital to Bigdash's success.
