“She has her holes in her defense” - Ekaterina Vandaryeva says Martyna Kierczynska’s all-out style led to her downfall

Martyna Kierczynska always relied on her forward pressure to get the job done until she ran into the technical mind of Ekaterina Vandaryeva.

The Belarusian star used her veteran smarts in dealing with the marauding Kierczynska in their strawweight Muay Thai matchup at ONE Fight Night 20 this past weekend in Bangkok.

Vandaryeva was in pure control of her element and constantly baited the Polish standout to charge recklessly on offense.

Aware of the 21-year-old’s innate power, the 33-year-old Vandaryeva relied on smart counters and only closed the void when she saw an opening on Kierczynska’s guard.

Vandaryeva said in her post-fight interview that Kierczynska’s power is nothing to be scoffed at but her looping movements often left her vulnerable to counters in the pocket and from a distance.

She said:

“Martyna is really powerful, and she goes forward, but at the same time, that’s her weakness,” said Ekaterina Vandaryeva. “She has holes in her defense, and I knew if I didn’t scramble and kept everything technical, I was going to get the win.”

Vandaryeva, who beat MMA legend Joanna Jędrzejczyk early in their careers, often dropped her hands when she dealt with Kierczynska at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Seemingly aware of Kierczynska’s tendencies, Vandaryeva waited for the young star to make a mistake before clocking her with multiple-hit combos to control the fight’s pace for the unanimous decision win.

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Ekaterina Vandaryeva breaks down perfect game plan to deal with Martina Kierczynska’s aggression

Martyna Kierczynska burst into the ONE Championship scene when she dominated Thai sensation Wondergirl Jaroonsak at ONE Fight Night 19.

Her second-round TKO win over Wondergirl quickly made an impression on the world stage, but that power also became her downfall against Ekaterina Vandaryeva at ONE Fight Night 20.

Vandaryeva was calculated in her approach and claimed her patience paid dividends in dealing with the raw power behind Kierczynska’s attacks.

She said:

“Yeah, she’s a pretty good fighter. Her team is great, she was getting ready and training well but at the same time I knew that she made mistakes. She goes all out when she moves forward, and I knew that I could get the victory.”