Vitaly Bigdash Ready To Trade Punches With Yuki Niimura

Vitaly Bigdash (9-2-0) is ready to climb back to the top of his division.

The former ONE Middleweight World Champion will clash with debuting Japanese martial arts star Yuki “Yu-King” Niimura (12-4-0) on the main card of ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS on 7 December.

This match-up at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur is a pivotal one for the Russian warrior. His ultimate goal is to earn a rubber match with two-division ONE World Champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang.

As the last man to defeat the Myanmar hero, and with their rivalry split with one win apiece, there is always likely to be interest in a trilogy bout. However, Bigdash first needs some wins against top-tier opposition to stake his claim for the biggest prize in martial arts.

The 34-year-old will not have it easy against the Pancrase Middleweight World Champion, but as he explains, he has stepped up his training to make sure his hand is raised.

ONE Championship: What changes have you made to your training camp to make sure you leave Malaysia with a win?

Vitaly Bigdash: My camp is made of three stages now. The first one started about two and a half months ago in my hometown of Rostov, then I went to Sweden to learn some new tricks.

I am grateful to Alexander Gustafsson and his team at Allstars, who took me in. There are some high-caliber guys training there who helped me hone my grappling technique.

Now I am in Thailand, training at Phuket Top Team. I’ve been here for a month already, letting my body get acclimatized slowly. Last time, I didn’t give myself enough time to adapt, and it backfired.

ONE: What have you been working on at Phuket Top Team?

VB: I’ve been coming here for many years, so everything is pretty much the same, though his time, I spent more time on improving my physical shape and conditioning.

I do a lot of functional training. I lift in the morning, and I go for long-distance runs. I am really focused on getting better stamina.  

ONE: What do you know about your opponent, Yuki Niimura? How does your skill set match up against his?

VB: Yuki is a striker who fought in K-1, and he also has a very good mixed martial arts record. I didn’t find many videos of him on YouTube, but what I saw shows his great striking skills.

He probably will be more comfortable in a stand-up battle. I enjoy exchanging punches, so if he wants to stand with me, it’s okay. We both are very strong-headed, which hopefully means we can give fans a beautiful performance.

He’s got courage, so I am looking forward to meeting him.

ONE: How do you think the match will go?

VB: I think he will go until the end, and I like that! It’s not possible to predict how this fight will go, because in mixed martial arts, anything is possible.

I am training for any scenario – in mixed martial arts you have to be adaptable.

ONE: Do you have a game plan?

VB: Of course, but based on my experience it is not smart to reveal it. Although I am not training specifically for Niimura, my camp analyzed his game, and we can see some holes in it.

The point of good training is to be ready for any scenario. I hope I can make good decisions during the fight and win.   

ONE: How hungry are you to taste victory again?

VB: My goal is to get back into the winning corner and have my hand raised again. My fans know that I am going through a rough patch.

I’ve been very careful when it comes to my health in order to not jeopardize my training. I need to prove to my fans and to myself that I am capable of more.