The 3 biggest storylines heading into ONE 159

A trio of dramatic storylines will draw to a close at ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash on July 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The main event will see Vitaly Bigdash attempt to reclaim middleweight glory from the all-powerful two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder.

Preceding that titanic clash is a striking matchup that will pit Janet Todd against promotional newcomer Lara Fernandez. They'll battle for the ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world title.

While the two world title fights at the helm of the event are deserving of their place, the card itself is littered with enticing matchups with massive implications in the grand scheme of things.

Everybody loves a backstory. With that said, here are the biggest plot lines that will come to an end at ONE 159.

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#3. Bokang Masunyane and Hiroba Minowa fight for strawweight’s No.2 spot

Strawweight has always been one of the most stacked weight classes in ONE Championship. This is never more true than when Bokang Masunyane and Hiroba Minowa face each other in a pivotal strawweight clash at ONE 159.

Masunyane currently resides in the No.2 contender spot in the division and he’ll do everything in his power to retain his place on the divisional ladder when he squares off against No.3 contender Minowa.

Both fighters are talented grapplers and will stop at nothing to try to get the advantage on the ground. This match, however, might very well see Minowa and Masunyane trade strikes on the feet.

Despite being natural wrestlers, Masunyane and Minowa have no problem ending fights with their striking.

Minowa has three knockouts in his career, while Masunyane scored one of the most impressive finishes of 2020 when he sent former world title contender Rene Catalan into oblivion.

A win for Masunyane would solidify his place in the stacked strawweight division, but that is a precarious place to be in. Minowa, who has beaten Lito Adiwang and former world champion Alex Silva, is more than eager to take that precious No.2 contender spot come ONE 159.

Needless to say, both men will be vying for pole position. Minowa himself believes he will hold ONE gold within a year’s time. He will first have to get past Masunyane in order to realize that vision.

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#2. Janet Todd looks for two-sport supremacy, welcomes Lara Fernandez into ONE Championship

Much hangs in the balance in this world title matchup between reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Janet Todd and Spanish Muay Thai world champion Lara Fernandez.

A win for either fighter will net them the ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world title, which is up for grabs because divisional queen Allycia Hellen Rodrigues is effectively on maternity leave.

Apart from the 26.4-pound gold belt that they stand to receive at ONE 159, the sheer importance of the matchup will swing their respective careers into unprecedented territory.

Todd holds the ONE atomweight kickboxing world title and she has a chance to become a rare two-sport ONE world champion, a feat that only former adversary Stamp Fairtex and the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao have achieved.

Fernandez, meanwhile, is in for the biggest match of her career. The 26-year-old Spaniard is already a WBC Muay Thai and two-time ISKA world champion, but a world title win in ONE Championship will surely trump her previous achievements.

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#1. Battle of kings in ONE 159’s main event

Former ONE middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash will try to reclaim the throne that he once held when he faces two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder in a matchup of, arguably, the two best middleweights in ONE Championship history.

Reinier de Ridder, who holds the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world titles, has been nothing short of impervious in the entirety of his professional career, holding a perfect record of 15-0 heading into ONE 159.

‘The Dutch Knight’ was unstoppable in his conquest of the two divisions with back-to-back dominant victories over Myanmar icon ‘The Burmese Python’ Aung La N Sang.

However, Bigdash is a man on a mission, and with a resounding trilogy victory over Aung La, the hulking Russian is riding a wave of momentum that just might help him become the first man to discover a chink in ‘The Dutch Knight’s’ armor.

A natural middleweight, Bigdash holds 12 wins in his professional career and is an absolute beast both on the feet and on the ground. The Russian mauler became ONE middleweight world champion when he knocked out Igor Svirid in October 2015.

Saying that de Ridder has been untested is pure blasphemy, but this world title defense against Bigdash at ONE 159 is sure to be one of the toughest fights of his career.