Former ONE middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash is gearing up for the toughest test of his MMA career on Friday, July 22.

That evening, the mighty Russian will challenge undefeated two-division ONE world champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder for the middleweight belt at ONE 159 in Singapore.

Bigdash has consistently defied the odds throughout his career. In fact, it’s become part of the legacy he has been building in ONE Championship.

He first developed an interest in martial arts as a young boy after getting hooked on films starring Hollywood’s finest action stars.

“When I was little, martial arts movies flooded Russia. As a result, we all wanted to be like Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. I was hugely impressed by Van Damme’s kicks,” Bigdash recalled.

“I fell in love with martial arts when I saw a movie starring Bruce Lee. I cannot remember its name now, but I remember loving it, and thinking that I wanted to be like him.”

Inspired by his big-screen heroes, the Russian signed up for martial arts lessons. 

However, due to his father’s job, Bigdash had to relocate often, meaning he couldn’t commit himself to classes in any one place.

After one such move, the youngster discovered Kyokushinkai, a Japanese form of full-contact karate that was widely practiced in the country during the 1990s.

“We moved into another town again, and my father’s new colleagues organized a little welcome party,” he said.

“They were from the military, like dad, and loved martial arts a lot. One of them brought tapes of people training in Kyokushinkai and told us there was a studio nearby, where I could train from time to time.”

Without wasting any time, Bigdash managed to convince his father, a military officer, to sign him up at the nearby dojo. After a couple of lessons, he knew that it was something he wanted to pursue further.

“It was almost a spiritual experience because people were so passionate about the sport [despite] training in conditions we cannot imagine these days. You would not call it a gym in today’s world, and I really loved wearing a dogi,” he added.

As he moved into his teenage years, the passion began to become a life focus, and he started to participate in – and win – local and regional tournaments throughout Russia.

With his love for the sport and burning desire to evolve as a martial artist, Bigdash used every moment of free time honing his skills.

“My path was very clear – I did not have any other interests or hobbies outside the world of martial arts,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to become anything else but a fighter. I found it easy to stay disciplined with training, as I am a very goal-oriented person. I always focus on my next goal, and do not relax until I achieve it.”

Bigdash then switched to MMA and turned professional in 2012. In his debut, he needed only 101 seconds to submit his opponent with an armbar. He then won his next six matches and finished all of his opponents.

All this was impressive enough for ONE Championship to offer him a chance to compete on its global stage, and he had a debut to remember in October 2015.

That evening, Bigdash participated in a thrilling ONE middleweight world championship bout against then-titleholder Igor Svirid. Throughout the first round, Svirid came close to finishing the Russian on several occasions, but the challenger weathered the storm, shocked his foe, and ultimately knocked him out in the second frame to win the strap.

Unfortunately, injuries and hiccups derailed him from competing as regularly as he liked. But when he returned in January 2017, he showed his evolved skill set to defeat Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang.

The Russian’s time at the top of the middleweight mountain didn’t last long, though. Bigdash lost his gold to the Myanmar sports star when they rematched five months later, and the following year, he was finished for the first and only time in his career.

Since then, however, Bigdash has been back to his best. He has earned three consecutive victories – including an exciting trilogy clash with “The Burmese Python” – to set him on course for another shot at the middleweight crown.

It has been a tough couple of years for the Russian, but he has never lost sight of his goal. Now, his persistence has been rewarded, and he hopes to make the most of it inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on July 22.