Photos: Vitaly Bigdash's 5 best victories in ONE Championship

Vitaly Bigdash was strength personified during his reign as ONE middleweight world champion from 2015 to 2017, as he ran through Igor Svirid and Aung La N Sang with fearsome energy.

Although he’s since relinquished the gold strap, the Russian mauler is back in the world title picture after going on a dominant three-fight run that saw him conclude a storied trilogy against fierce rival Aung La.

With three straight wins under his belt, Bigdash is looking more and more of a world-beater once again. He’s now on a titanic collision course with two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder, the owner of the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight world titles.

Bigdash, who seems to have gotten into the second phase of his brilliant career, will try to regain the ONE middleweight world title and, in the process, beat the seemingly unbeatable de Ridder.

A victory over 'The Dutch Knight' will surely be an impressive feather in Bigdash’s already loaded cap.

With that said, let's look at Vitaly Bigdash’s tour de force in ONE Championship and rank his victories in order of general greatness.

#5. Vitaly Bigdash vs. Fan Rong - ONE: Winter Warriors II (December 2021)

Vitaly Bigdash chokes out Fan Rong. [Photo ONE Championship]

Vitaly Bigdash was equally crafty and tenacious when he faced Fan Rong in December last year, combining his powerful striking with methodical grappling.

The Russian was quick to chop down Fan with cracking body kicks in the opening round, immediately making his mark on the Chinese fighter’s battered midsection. Bigdash continued his assault in the second frame when he took top position in the first minute and stayed there the rest of the period.

It was in the third round that Bigdash finished things off with a tight guillotine choke. Fan took his chance for a takedown but Bigdash quickly countered it and slapped on the submission hold to take the victory just 41 seconds into the round.

#4. Vitaly Bigdash vs. Yuki Niimura - ONE: Destiny of Champions (December 2018)

Vitaly Bigdash submits Yuki Niimura. [Photo ONE Championship]

Kuala Lumpur became the site of what might just be Vitaly Bigdash’s scariest performance in ONE Championship to date.

Bigdash took on Yuki Niimura in December 2018 and that fateful encounter turned out to be the first mark of the Russian fighter's current three-fight winning streak.

Barely 20 seconds into the bout, Bigdash gained a dominant position when he scored a single-leg takedown against Niimura. Things turned from bad to worse for Niimura, with Bigdash immediately dictating the match with his top-class wrestling and ground-and-pound.

More than three minutes into the first round, Bigdash had his legs wrapped around Niimura’s neck slowly cranking the air out of the Japanese fighter’s lungs. Bruised from the initial ground strikes and a vise-like grip around his neck, Niimura had no choice but to tap to Bigdash’s reverse arm triangle 4:24 into the fight.

#3. Vitaly Bigdash vs. Aung La N Sang III - ONE: Full Circle (February 2022)

Vitaly Bigdash looks for a rear-naked choke against Aung La N Sang in their third match. [Photo ONE Championship]

Bigdash and Aung La N Sang had one of the greatest rivalries in ONE Championship, with their first two fights being fought for the ONE middleweight world championship.

While the conclusion to their storied trilogy didn’t have gold on the line, the match itself was still one for the books. Both Bigdash and Aung La threw everything but the kitchen sink against each other, yet it was the Russian star who got the better offensive game.

Bigdash dominated every facet, landing strikes that broke through Aung La’s defense whenever he wanted. The ground also belonged to Bigdash, with the Russian star employing a stellar wrestling game that Aung La found no answers to.

In the end, it was Bigdash who ended the trilogy with a unanimous decision and went on to claim his third straight win.

#2. Vitaly Bigdash vs. Igor Svirid - ONE: Tigers of Asia (October 2015)

Vitaly Bigdash lands a knee to the head of Igor Svirid. [Photo ONE Championship]

Debuts are already a nerve-wracking affair on their own, but fighting for the world title in your first fight at ONE Championship is a whole different challenge. Bigdash, however, had no issues jumping straight into the world title picture when he faced Igor Svirid for the ONE middleweight belt back in October 2015.

Despite the pressure surrounding the fight, Bigdash charged in like a possessed bull and pull off one of the greatest debuts in ONE Championship history.

Bigdash weathered Svirid’s early offense and nearly scored the submission win in the first round, if not for the bell sounding just before the Kazakh fighter looked to have tapped to the rear-naked choke.

Less than a minute into the second stanza, Bigdash landed a devastating left knee, which was followed by a right overhand cross.

Sensing his opportunity for the world title, the debuting Bigdash pummeled Svirid with hammer fists to become just the second ONE middleweight world champion.

#1. Vitaly Bigdash vs. Aung La N Sang I - ONE: Quest for Power (January 2017)

Vitaly Bigdash lands a left kick to the head of Aung La N Sang. [Photo ONE Championship]

It may have been a routine world title defense back then, but the main event of ONE: Quest for Power proved to be the catalyst for arguably the greatest rivalry in ONE Championship history.

Bigdash was coming off his inspired victory over Svirid to become the ONE middleweight world champion, while Aung La was riding a four-fight winning streak to become the outright challenger.

Things may have started slowly in the first two rounds, but the fight quickly went fever-pitch in the third, with Bigdash bloodying Aung La with sharp elbow strikes from top position near the end of the round.

Aung La, who’s yet to reach legend status at that point, was subjected to one of the most devastating ground-and-pound displays that Bigdash ever launched in his career.

The Russian was dominant throughout the final two rounds of the match and made sure that his devastating ground game propelled him to a successful world title defense.