Reinier de Ridder Chokes Out Vitaly Bigdash, Defends Middleweight Title at One 159

16-0! 👑 Reinier de Ridder puts Vitaly Bigdash to SLEEP with an inverted triangle to retain his ONE Middleweight World Title!#ONE159 | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL pic.twitter.com/YDbzk92pGM

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 22, 2022

Reinier de Ridder proved why he is the most dominant titleholder in One Championship at the moment.

In the One 159 headliner, de Ridder (16-0, 7-0 One) notched a defense of his 205-pound title as he overcame former divisional kingpin Vitaly Bigdash. The challenger started with a bang, cracking the champ with a heavy blow in the early going. “The Dutch Knight” recovered and moved the action against the fence, where his opponent quickly captured his neck. Bigdash (12-3, 5-3 One) opted to go for broke, attacking with a tight guillotine choke. The submission attempt seemed quite deep, but de Ridder fought out of the sticky situation. The defending champion landed a few punches after popping his head out, and Bigdash turned the tables with a clever sweep. Yet, it was the beginning of the end for the Russian, who ended up trapped in a slick inverted triangle choke attempt. The maneuver took a few seconds to be executed, but it perfectly trapped Bigdash, who passed out before he managed to tap. Referee Mohamad Sulaiman officially called the stop at the 3:29 mark of Round 1. After hearing that he was rewarded with a $50,000 performance bonus, de Ridder reiterated in his post-fight interview his plans to move up to heavyweight and become a three-division champion.

"JT" wins gold in TWO sports! Janet Todd claims the ONE Interim Atomweight Muay Thai World Title by unanimous decision over Lara Fernandez 👑#ONE159 | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL | https://t.co/gVOqQqc9oJ pic.twitter.com/q28WYcuxoe

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 22, 2022

In the co-main event, current atomweight kickboxing titleholder Todd became a two-discipline champion after defeating Lara Fernandez in an atomweight muay Thai clash. Todd’s experience made the difference in the battle as she measured her energy to finish on a high note. Todd kept her composure and scored with precise punches throughout the fight. Fernandez showed some initiative in Round 3 as her shots caused some trouble for Todd, who relied on her kicks to prevent her foe from advancing. In the championship rounds, “JT” employed effective two-piece combinations, mixing punches and kicks. With more left in the tank, the American dictated the pace in the final stanza, forcing Fernandez to fight off her back foot and crowd her until time elapsed. Ultimately, the cageside judges scored unanimously in favor of Todd as the new interim atomweight muay Thai beltholder. “JT” will have the chance to unify the title with current champ Allycia Hellen Rodrigues somewhere in the future.

Danial Williams 🇦🇺🇹🇭 DETONATES Zelang Zhaxi in Round 1!#ONE159 | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL | https://t.co/gVOqQqc9oJ pic.twitter.com/O301IHzOnj

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 22, 2022

Earlier on in the card, Muangthai PK.Saenchai edged Vladimir Kuzmin by a narrow split decision in a muay Thai clash; Zhang Peimian outclassed Aslanbek Zikreev en route to a unanimous decision in a kickboxing affair; Jamal Yusupov upended “Smokin’ Jo” Nattawut Somkun on all scorecards in their muay Thai battle; 125-pounder Danial Williams (6-1, 3-0 One) rendered Zelang Zhaxi (16-7-1, 3-2 One) unconscious with a single punch at 4:20 into the opening frame, pocketing a $50,000 performance bonus for his efforts.

He dropped a BOMB 💣#ONE159 | https://t.co/eBUfsODAFL | https://t.co/gVOqQqc9oJ pic.twitter.com/JNuwXr8QBa

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 22, 2022

On the lead card, Sinsamut Klinmee blasted Liam Nolan with a nasty left hook five seconds into the second frame of their 170-pound muay Thai scrap to take home a performance bonus; former M-1 Global and One Championship champ Marat Gafurov (19-4, 10-4 One) stopped Ariel Sexton (14-5, 1 NC; 5-3 One) with punches at 4:15 into the third period; the first fight on the card saw Valmir da Silva Barbosa (9-2, 1-1 One) force Tae Ho Jin (9-7, 1-1 One) to surrender to a guillotine choke at 4:50 into Round 2.