Vitaly Bigdash Gunning for ONE Championship Gold on Friday
Vitaly Bigdash is an undefeated Russian middleweight who is poised to participate in the biggest fight of his MMA career. The 31-year-old’s reward for running up a perfect professional 7-0 record is a shot at reigning middleweight champion Igor Svirid at ONE: Tigers of Asia.
The bout has been scheduled for Oct. 9 and will be Bigdash’s first time fighting outside of Europe. He’s best known for a spectacular wheel-kick knockout from 2013 (which you can see here) and that technique was one the Russian probably picked up very early in his martial arts career.
“I started training in martial arts in 1996 because I wanted to be strong, so I signed up for Kyokushinkai Karate classes at a sports club.”
Bigdash went on to win a number of regional tournaments and earn a brown belt in karate before transitioning to MMA, where he has gained a reputation for his submission skills.
“I like MMA, as it is the most accomplished combat sport where almost everything is allowed. A fighter can demonstrate all of his skills and use his stand-up skills, wrestling, physical power.”
After seven straight wins fighting for various promotions, including Pro FC in Russia and Glory in Turkey, he will finally get his chance on the big stage on Friday. Bigdash will be headlining ONE: Tigers of Asia at Stadium Putra and says the offer of such a prestigious fight was simply too good to turn down.
“I was very happy to be offered a contract with ONE FC, as I consider this promotion to be one of the strongest in the world. It is an honor to fight in this promotion, especially to have a title fight with such a decorated opponent as Igor Svirid.”
Svirid took just 17 seconds to knock out the previously undefeated Leandro Ataides and become the first-ever ONE middleweight champion. Bigdash certainly has plenty of respect for his opponent.
“Igor is a very serious opponent with a strong record. What I can say about him is that he is a patient guy with good heavy punches, who can also wrestle well and has good submissions and chokes. I hope we put on a good fight that will be remembered by all MMA fans.”
Bigdash is also a cogitative fighter, who is comfortable thinking on his feet and likes to use the opening exchanges of a contest to formulate a game plan.
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“I always watch my opponents during the first minutes of a fight and base my fight on that and plan my tactics. I watched (Svirid’s) fights, how he works, what he does, and what he does not, so I will base my game on his actions. I will see how he behaves at the start of the fight and work out how I can oppose his plan.”
It would be a mistake to assume Bigdash was a slow starter because three of his opponents were finished in the opening round. However, there is also evidence that he gets stronger throughout the fight and his last three wins have all come with a stoppage in the third and final round.
Despite his Karate background, Bigdash is arguably at his most dangerous on the ground and his four submission wins have come courtesy of four completely different types of finish. It’s a skillset that makes him dangerous everywhere. The 31-year-old believes he has evolved into a well-rounded mixed martial artist.
“I can wrestle and I can kick and punch, but most of all I like to submit and choke people. That’s my major strength.”
Bigdash’s last fight was for Russian promotion Pro FC in March and he finished the then 15-4 Magomed Magomedkerimov with a north-south choke in the opening round. It’s the sort of win that can turn a contender into a genuine title challenger. He describes it as his most satisfying victory.
“There is no such thing as an easy fight. Behind every quick fight there is a lot of work, many weeks of training in the gym, fight camps. My last fight was my hardest one. It was against a tough opponent a wrestler and it was a high-paced fight where I had to defend myself from his takedowns. He used a standard wrestler’s practice to wear me out with his wrestling skills, but I let him get tired and then quickly finished the fight.”
Despite his stellar record, Bigdash has never been offered a title shot with any promotion before and is determined to seize the opportunity. He is firmly focused on becoming a ONE champion and believes this clarity of mind will help him to realize his ambitions.
“I really want to become a champion and in my mind I am painting a picture of that belt being put around me. I believe that thoughts can materialize, so I try and feel like I am already a champion.”
Given that the Russian has spent so much time visualizing the victory that would make him a ONE middleweight champion, you might imagine he had a specific finish in mind. However, Bigdash is nothing if not versatile and he thinks the fight could end at any moment and in any way.
“It can be anything. An armbar, a finish on the ground, a KO… MMA is an unpredictable sport and anything can happen.”
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