For Vitaly Bigdash, striking may be his best bet to beat Reinier de Ridder

It’s been five long years since Vitaly Bigdash has felt the weight of ONE Championship gold wrapped around his waist. That could all change this week when the Russian striker faces undefeated two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder in the ONE 159 main event.

Following his win over another former two-division champion, Aung La N Sang, Bigdash faces his toughest test to date against the Netherlands native who has yet to suffer a loss in his mixed martial arts career.

Many believe that Bigdash’s best chance of victory will be to keep the fight on the feet. An example of this was provided on ONE Championship's Instagram page, as they uploaded a clip of the Russian juggernaut delivering "hellbows" in the circle.

“Double whammy 💪 Vitaly Bigdash challenges Reinier de Ridder for the ONE Middleweight World Title on July 22 at ONE 159! 🏆 @vitaly_bigdash”

Vitaly Bigdash scored three straight wins over Yuki Niimura, Rong Fan, and the previously mentioned Aung La to secure a title shot against ‘The Dutch Knight’ in the ONE 159 main event. Reclaiming his middleweight world title will be no easy task as he meets one of the most proficient grapplers in the sport, but there is a clear path to victory for the Russian challenger.

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Avoiding the ground game will be in Vitaly Bigdash’s best interest at ONE 159

Though Vitaly Bigdash is no slouch on the ground, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is a dangerous force when it comes to grappling. In 15 career victories, he has 10 wins by submission, a number that is sure to deter any fighter from willingly grappling with the two-division world champion.

Bigdash’s path to victory is in the stand-up game. With four career knockouts, Bigdash could catch de Ridder in an area that the fighter is still developing. That task is easier said than done, of course. One of Reinier de Ridder’s biggest strengths is playing from a distance. Staying out of range, his immense speed allows ‘The Dutch Knight’ to close the distance in a flash, taking his opponent to the mat before they even realize what happened.

Bigdash is equally strong and could push the action against the fence where he can strike in the clinch. Keeping the distance to avoid strikes, de Ridder typically has to cover a lot of ground when shooting for a takedown. Bigdash may attempt to use uppercuts to deter ‘The Dutch Knight’ from shooting at a distance. This would force the champion to move in, giving Bigdash the opportunity to strike.

The main-event showdown has all the makings of a grappler versus striker classic. Luckily fight fans only have a few more sleeps before it all goes down at ONE 159 on Friday.