Preview and prediction - Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash

A rivalry five years in the making comes to its conclusion this Friday, when Aung La N Sang and Vitaly Bigdash clash at ONE: Full Circle.

Both men have held gold in the division and the series currently stands at one win apiece. They will each be looking to close the book on their epic feud with an emphatic victory to stay in the world title conversation moving forward. With such high stakes, fireworks are guaranteed.

It won't be an easy route to victory for either fighter. They have openly admitted that their counterparts have evolved tremendously since the last time they shared the Circle in 2017.

Aung La N Sang arrived at ONE Chamionship as a largely unknown martial artist. Eight years since he made his bow on the global stage in Jakarta, Indonesia, ‘The Burmese Python’ has evolved into one of the most dominant forces in the promotion's history.

The Myanmar icon ticks every box on the list of what a complete martial artist should have. The 36-year-old has never put on a boring display. He is elegant with his movement in the Circle, dazzling on the canvas and vicious with his striking. Most importantly, he has the heart of a warrior.

Ken Hasegawa, Brandon Vera and Leandro Ataides have all faced Aung La N Sang in their finest form. All three walked away with a loss added to their record.

Experience will be in his favor too. Aung La N Sang has 40 fights under his belt and has maintained a mind-boggling 93 percent finishing rate. No one on the promotion’s roster, who has competed as much as Aung La, can hold a candle to his stellar track record.

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Can Vitaly Bigdash defeat Aung La N Sang again?

On paper, Vitaly Bigdash stacks up pretty evenly when compared to Aung La N Sang across all departments.

Both men can spring a surprise with their boxing combinations, groundwork, grit and one-punch knockout power. However, Bigdash’s lack of activity could prove to be a pivotal factor when the duo tango at ONE: Full Circle.

He'll have to dig deep to carve a path to victory. Luckily for him, his title-winning debut outing against Igor Svirid is a performance he could rewatch to boost his confidence. To this very day, the Russian’s second-round KO against Svirid is still dubbed as the greatest ever fight to take place in the Circle.

Injuries and a couple of unfortunate events may have obstructed Bigdash from competing as much as he would have liked. Based on his recent submission win over Fan Rong, his hunger for a surge towards the pinnacle of the 93kg division remains intact.

At the end of the day, both men share a similar goal – a shot Reinier de Ridder’s ONE middleweight world title. A highlight-reel performance from either of these warriors could present them with another shot at glory before the turn of the year.

Prediction: Vitaly Bigdash to submit Aung La N Sang in the second round