Tag: Vitaly Bigdash

ONE Championship 159 results: Reinier de Ridder lives up to promise, chokes out Vitaly Bigdash in first

Reinier de Ridder did exactly what he said he was going to do, and cemented himself as arguably one of the best fighters in the world.

[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] did exactly what he said he was going to do, and cemented himself as arguably one of the best fighters in the world in the process.

De Ridder (16-0) stayed unbeaten when he put [autotag]Vitaly Bigdash[/autotag] (12-3) to sleep with an inverted triangle choke in the first round to defend his light heavyweight title at ONE Championship 159. The finish came at the 3:29 mark of the opening round at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

De Ridder, who also is the promotion’s middleweight champ, denied former light heavyweight titleholder Bigdash in his quest to capture a ONE title more than five years after he lost the belt.

After the win, De Ridder said he now wants to set his sights on a third concurrent ONE title with a move up to heavyweight. And instead of a desire to fight the eventual winner between champ Arjan Bhullar and interim champ Anatoly Malykhin, De Ridder said he would fight them both in one night.

“Anybody in the world – anybody in the world, I’ll finish,” De Ridder said in his post-fight interview. “I’ll strangle anybody on the planet. I got him a little earlier than I thought. I had to wear him out a little bit. I was thinking it would be in the second round, but I got him. … That’s what I do: I choke people out. That’s what I do.”

De Ridder came forward quickly in the fight and pushed Bigdash to the fence. He had to eat a defensive punch while Bigdash moved out of the way. Seconds later, De Ridder went for a takedown, and when it wasn’t there Bigdash latched on to a guillotine choke. Bigdash took the choke to the canvas, and it appeared to be tight, but after nearly a minute, the champion broke out of it.

De Ridder went to work on top trying to land punches, then postured up for more. Midway through, De Ridder settled into half-guard and tried to pass while putting on pressure with elbows.

When De Ridder went for an armbar, he wound up on his back. But that was nothing for him. When Bigdash tried to do work out of the armbar, De Ridder quickly threw up an inverted triangle choke and put Bigdash in trouble. From there, it wasn’t long before Bigdash was out cold.

Of the Dutchman’s 16 pro wins, 14 have been by stoppage, including 12 by submission. Three of his past four wins have come by three different chokes.

John Lineker vs. Stephan Loman added to ONE on TNT IV in April

John Lineker will look to continue his assent up the bantamweight rankings when he faces former BRAVE CF champion Stephan Loman.

[autotag]John Lineker[/autotag] will look to continue his ascent up the bantamweight rankings when he welcomes a former BRAVE CF champion to the ONE Championship cage.

Lineker (33-9) is set to meet [autotag]Stephan Loman[/autotag] (14-2) at ONE on TNT IV in Singapore. The tape-delayed event airs April 28 on TNT.

The matchup was officially announced on the ONE Championship 129: Fists of Fury broadcast Friday. MMA Fighting was first to report the news.

A perennial bantamweight contender throughout his UFC career, Lineker is 2-0 since joining the ONE roster in late 2019. He scored a unanimous decision win over Muin Gafurov in his promotional debut, followed by a second-round finish of former ONE champ Kevin Bellington in November.

Loman, a former BRAVE CF bantamweight champion, notched four successful title defenses during his tenure with the promotion. The 29-year-old Team Lakay prospect has won his past eight in a row, including wins over Frans Mlambo twice, Elias Boudegzdame and Felipe Efrain.

Also announced on the broadcast for the April 28 card is a matchup between light heavyweight champion [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] (26-11) who puts his title on the line against Russia’s [autotag]Vitaly Bigdash[/autotag] (10-2).

With the additions, the ONE on TNT IV lineup includes:

  • Champ Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash – for light heavyweight title
  • John Lineker vs. Stephan Loman
  • Shinya Aoki vs. Sage Northcutt

[vertical-gallery id=566027]

Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez returns kick off ‘ONE on TNT’ event series in April

ONE Championship will be on TNT this spring, beginning with the returns of a pair of former UFC champions.

ONE Championship will be on TNT this spring, beginning with the returns of a pair of former UFC champions.

The promotion has announced that it will hold a “ONE on TNT” series, which will feature events every Wednesday for four consecutive weeks beginning April 7. Each event will feature prelims streamed on B/R Live at 9 p.m. ET, with a three-fight main card beginning at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

The series is highlighted by two titles fights and the returns of former UFC champs [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], who will compete in the first event April 7. Both men missed all of 2020 because of travel bans caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson (30-3-1) last fought Oct. 13, 2019 when he defeated Danny Kingad to win the ONE flyweight grand prix, making him 3-0 with the promotion. Alvarez (30-7), meanwhile, submitted Eduard Folayang in his last fight on Aug. 2, 2019 to bounce back from a TKO loss to Timofey Nastyukhin in his promotional debut.

[lawrence-related id=578354,573291]

The slate of shows and current fights booked includes:

ONE on TNT 1, April 7

  • Champ [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] vs. Demetrious Johnson – for flyweight title
  • Eddie Alvarez vs. Iuri Lapicus

ONE on TNT 2, April 14

  • Champ [autotag]Christian Lee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Timofey Nastyukhin[/autotag]– for lightweight title

ONE on TNT 3, April 21

  • [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vitaly Bigdash[/autotag]

ONE on TNT 4, April 28

  • No fights booked at this time

[vertical-gallery id=452640]

Demetrious Johnson to challenge for ONE flyweight title at ONE Infinity 1

Demetrious Johnson will challenge for the flyweight title at ONE Infinity 1 in Jakarta on Friday, Apr. 10.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] will look to add a second ONE Championship belt to his collection at ONE Infinity 1.

The record-breaking former UFC flyweight champion captured the ONE flyweight grand prix title in 2019, and along with the colossal championship belt he received for his efforts, he was also handed a shot at reigning ONE flyweight champion, [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag].

That matchup will form the main event of ONE Infinity 1, which takes place at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, Apr. 10. The event will be streamed live on B/R Live, with prelims on MMA Junkie.

Johnson (30-3-1) made his high-profile switch from the UFC to ONE in a much-publicized so-called “trade” that saw Ben Askren head in the opposite direction, and has looked as sharp as ever inside the ONE Championship circle.

“Mighty Mouse” kicked off his tenure with his new promotion with a second-round submission of Yuya Wakamatsu in the quarterfinals of the grand prix tournament at “ONE Championship 92: A New Era” in March 2019, then followed up with a dominant unanimous decision win over Tatsumitsu Wada at “ONE Championship 99: Dawn of Heroes” four months later. He captured the grand prix title in the final with another unanimous decision, this time against Filipino fan-favorite Danny Kingad to put himself in line for a shot at three-time champion Moraes (18-3).

The co-main event in Jakarta sees the return of two-division ONE champion [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag]. “The Burmese Python” holds the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, as well as a knockout win over current heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. Now N Sang (26-10) returns to action as he puts his middleweight belt on the line against the man he defeated to win it back in 2017, Russia’s [autotag]Vitaly Bigdash[/autotag].

Then-champion Bigdash (10-2) defeated N Sang in their first meeting at “ONE Championship 51: Quest for Power” in January 2017 after the Myanmar athlete stepped in on short notice to challenge for the title. But, despite losing a unanimous decision, N Sang had done enough to warrant a rematch with a full camp, and he made his second chance count as he turned the tables on Bigdash to claim a unanimous decision of his own after a breathless five rounds at “ONE Championship 56: Light of a Nation” in Yangon, Myanmar.

Injury and an untimely defeat to Leandro Ataides kept Bigdash from his chance to face N Sang again in a trilogy fight, but that matchup will now finally take place in Jakarta, with the ONE middleweight strap on the line once again.

A third title will also be on the line in Jakarta, as ONE light heavyweight kickboxing champion Roman Kryklia puts his title on the line for the first time against Andrei Stoica.

ONE Infinity 1 confirmed fights:

  • Champ Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson – for flyweight title
  • Champ Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash – for middleweight title
  • Champ Roman Kryklia vs. Andrei Stoica – for light heavyweight kickboxing title

[vertical-gallery id=466431]