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Reinier de Ridder believes he will dominate ‘predictable’ Vitaly Bigdash
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Two-division ONE world-champion Reinier de Ridder walks into the circle ahead of his submission-grappling match against Andre Galvao at ONE X on March 26. (ONE Championship)
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wo-division ONE world-champion Reinier de Ridder will put his middleweight strap on the line against Vitaly Bigdash in the headliner of ONE 159 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on July 22.
His Russian challenger has been dominant in the Home of Martial Arts lately. He is enjoying a three-bout winning streak, including two submission victories. Bigdash will be looking to reclaim the middleweight belt, having held it once before, so he will be more fired up than ever. Nonetheless, “the Dutch Knight” remains unimpressed and unfazed by his upcoming opponent.
“He takes his time, picks his shots. There are a lot of single shots on the feet, which is smart sometimes. His shots are pretty straight, pretty clean. But he is predictable, and he gets tired very easily. He is going to be done by the end of the second,” De Ridder said.
The Dutchman has a perfect 15-0 record, and he will be looking to further cement his status at the top of the middleweight division after successfully defending his strap with a win against Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February.
He has faced many of the same opponents as his Russian counterpart and has excelled in his performances time and again. One competitor the two have both faced is Aung La “the Burmese Python” N Sang.
Read also: ONE Championship releases full card for ONE 159
De Ridder defeated the sports legend from Myanmar on two occasions, stripping him of both his belts in the process. Meanwhile, Bigdash claimed a win over “the Burmese Python” in his latest outing in the Circle to go 2-1 in their heated rivalry.
“The Dutch Knight” recently trained with Aung La N Sang, and his old rival had words for the middleweight king that bolstered his confidence ahead of his showdown with Bigdash.
“[Aung La N Sang] told me what I already know -- that I’m going to dominate this guy,” De Ridder said.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action at ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash on July 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
