Vitaly Bigdash

Former ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash has never been in a boring bout. Right upon his ONE Championship debut, Bigdash put on a spectacular display to TKO then-titleholder Igor Svirid in a bout hailed as the greatest ever in ONE history. The unbeaten Russian showed tremendous heart, coming back from several knockdowns to stop Svirid in the second round, winning the belt and several Bout of the Year awards in the process.

Growing up, Vitaly Bigdash constantly moved from city to city due to his father’s occupation as an army officer, but soon found the stability he needed in the form of Kyokushin karate. Initially, he pursued the discipline because purely for fitness reasons, but inevitably fell in love with it before winning numerous local and regional competitions.

Soon he transitioned into Muay Thai, discovered mixed martial arts, and joined the Akhmat Fight Team. Just like he did with the karate competitions, he would prove his dominance inside the cage. Bigdash made his professional debut in August 2014, and despite coming from a predominantly striking background, won the match via armbar in the opening stanza. He continued to excel, and made it all the way to the global stage of ONE Championship, where he has become an international star.