Janet Todd (right) lands a punch to Lara Fernandez in their interim-world-title battle at ONE 159 on Friday. (ONE Championship)
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NE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on July 22 — a high-octane event full of incredible striking and grappling action.The main event saw Dutchman Reiner de Ridder successfully defend his ONE Middleweight World Title against Vitaly Bigdash, while Janet Todd defeated Lara Fernandez in the co-main event to become the new ONE Interim Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion.
"The Dutch Knight" appeared to be in for a difficult evening, charging right into Bigdash's guillotine attempt. As the hulking Russian squeezed tighter, fans feared that De Ridder's night would come to an end.
His black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however, came into play, and he expertly worked himself out of a situation that would have taken out lesser athletes.
After fighting from within Bigdash's guard, De Ridder gained side control and attempted his first submission. Then Bigdash switched positions, attempting to dominate on top. This was to his detriment, though, as the expert grappler quickly drew Bigdash into his grasp and secured an inverted-triangle submission in round one.
De Ridder also walked away with a well-deserved US$50k bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
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With her victory over Lara Fernandez, ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion Janet Todd realized her dream of becoming a two-sport champ. "JT" dominated the opening rounds, sweeping the Spaniard with cut kicks and scoring with high, middle and low kicks.
Fernandez increased the tempo in the middle rounds, attempting to close the distance and pressure Todd around the Circle. However, Todd had regained her power by the fifth round and was landing power shots that stunned her opponent.
By the end of the fight, "JT" had taken the lead and won the ONE Interim Atomweight Muay Thai World Title via unanimous decision.
ONE 159 Main Card Results
- Reinier de Ridder defeats Vitaly Bigdash via submission (inverted triangle) at 3:29 of round one to retain the ONE Middleweight World Title, earning a US$50,000 bonus.
- Janet Todd defeats Lara Fernandez via unanimous decision to win the ONE Interim Atomweight Muay Thai World Title.
- Muangthai PK.Saenchai defeats Vladimir Kuzmin via split decision (Muay Thai — bantamweight).
- Zhang Peimian defeats Aslanbek Zikreev via unanimous decision (kickboxing – strawweight).
- Jamal Yusupov defeats Jo Nattawut via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – featherweight).
- Danial Williams defeats Zelang Zhaxi via knockout at 4:20 of round one (MMA — strawweight), earning a US$50,000 bonus.
ONE 159 Lead-Card Results
- Sinsamut Klinmee defeats Liam Nolan via knockout at 0:05 of round two (Muay Thai — lightweight), earning a US$50,000 bonus.
- Marat Gafurov defeats Ariel Sexton via TKO at 4:15 of round three (MMA – lightweight).
- Valmir Da Silva defeats Jin Tae Ho via submission (guillotine) at 4:55 of round two (MMA — welterweight).
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday.
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
