“I Will Break His Face” – Bigdash Fired Up to Dethrone De Ridder and Reclaim Middleweight Crown

Former ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash is ready to throw everything he has at two-division king Reinier de Ridder at ONE 159 on July 22, and he plans to take out the middleweight titleholder with a spectacular performance.

The Russian star challenges The Dutch Knight for the belt at ONE’s next spectacle inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium after earning his shot at the gold with a near-perfect performance against longtime rival Aung La N Sang. That win has bolstered his belief that he can reclaim the middleweight crown and hand De Ridder the first loss of his illustrious career.

“I’m confident. I know which skills I have in order to beat him. I think he would not be the champion if we faced off earlier because I believe I’m better in all aspects of fighting. I’m physically stronger, and my striking is way better, so I don’t think he would have been able to pass me,” Bigdash stated.

“I’m ready to knock him out, submit him, dominate all five rounds – it doesn’t matter to me. Like I said, after [the Aung La N Sang] fight, I will break his face.”

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So far, no fighter has come close to defeating the two-division king. The Dutch superstar owns a perfect 15-0 MMA record that includes 13 impressive finishes and a dominant 6-0 slate on ONE’s global stage.

Vitaly Bigdash plans to exploit De Ridder’s weakness

De Ridder’s world-class grappling has been his most potent tool, but Bigdash sees some holes that he can exploit within the Dutchman’s field of expertise.

“His weakness is, of course, his striking. [He has] very weak strikes with his arms and legs, I think this is his big omission. Also, I think nobody has seen him lying on his back,” he said.

“His power is his top control, but nobody has seen him in the guard position on his back, defending and attacking [from that position].”

Though he remains confident that he can be the first fighter to stop “The Dutch Knight,” the Akhmat Fight Team and Tiger Muay Thai star won’t minimize the depth of skill that his foe brings to the Circle.

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Bigdash expects a tough battle when the pair square off in the main event of ONE 159, but he warns the middleweight and light heavyweight king that he has never competed against a warrior like himself.

“I consider him a tough, strong fighter. He has been undefeated so far, a champion in two weights. His awards speak for themselves. I [don’t] underestimate him in any way. But he has not met a fighter like me,” he offered.