3 reasons to watch ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash

On Friday, July 22, live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash goes down. The epic fight card features a grocery list of exciting martial arts contests, the kind only ONE Championship is capable of delivering.

There’s an interesting headline clash between two elite middleweights on tap, as well as a battle for an interim world title in the co-main. Before those bouts, though, there's a slew of action-packed matchups that are sure to leave fans on the edge of their seats.

If you’re on the fence on whether or not to watch this amazing spectacle, we’ve come up with a few reasons why you should tune in on Friday to consume some world-class martial arts.

Grab a snack and sit back. Here are three reasons to watch ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash.

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#3. All sports are represented

With ONE Championship’s continued push to represent all martial arts disciplines under its umbrella, ONE 159 will showcase all four combat sports in the organization’s repertoire.

Mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling will all be featured on the fight card, with two matches being contested for a world title.

The headliner between Reinier de Ridder and Vitaly Bigdash will be for the ONE middleweight MMA world title, while Janet Todd and Lara Fernandez will duke it out for the ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world championship.

As of posting time, there are seven mixed martial arts bouts, three Muay Thai matches, one kickboxing fight, and one submission grappling contest.

ONE Championship doesn’t hold back when it comes to pushing the various disciplines of martial arts, and ONE 159 is just the perfect platform to showcase the very best of it.

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#2. The crowning of a ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world champion

Reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion Janet Todd has a chance to join an exclusive list in ONE Championship, while Lara Fernandez will figure in a promotional debut to remember at ONE 159.

Todd and Fernandez will battle it out to for the ONE interim atomweight Muay Thai world championship, and both fighters’ legacies will surely benefit if they notch a win at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Fernandez was already an accomplished striker before she even signed with ONE Championship, holding world titles with ISKA and WBC Muay Thai. A win for her will surely elevate her stock in the striking realm.

Todd, meanwhile, is the reigning ONE atomweight kickboxing world champion. A win for the 36-year-old will allow her to join a very short list of two-sport world champions in ONE Championship, a list that includes former ONE atomweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion Stamp Fairtex.

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#1. The highly-anticipated middleweight world title fight at ONE 159

A legacy could be restored or a legend could continue -- that’s the main storyline heading into the main event at ONE 159.

The headline bout between two-division ONE world champion Reinier de Ridder and former middleweight king Vitaly Bigdash has the makings to be one of the best fights in ONE Championship history.

Bigdash is on a three-fight winning streak and wants nothing more than to regain the ONE middleweight world title, a championship he held for more than 600 days from 2015 to 2017.

Reinier de Ridder, who also holds the ONE light heavyweight world championship, has been on a war path his entire career, going a perfect 15-0 and 6-0 in ONE Championship.

‘The Dutch Knight’ took middleweight gold in October 2020 and he’s since defended the strap against ONE welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov via third-round submission this past February.

Bigdash is still one of the most dangerous middleweights in the world and his latest win was a commanding unanimous decision victory over old rival Aung La N Sang.

Reinier de Ridder, meanwhile, slowly created his own legend when he beat Aung La twice for the two belts.