‘I Plan On Taking His Head Off’ – Ben Tynan Aims To Showcase Striking With Knockout Of Duke Didier
Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan has already captured the attention of ONE Championship fans, but he’s ready to ramp up the hype in U.S. primetime on Friday, April 5.
The unbeaten Canadian heavyweight will face Duke “The Duke of Canberra” Didier in MMA action at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Prime Video, and he wants to prove that he belongs among the very best with another emphatic finish.
After submitting “Mighty Warrior” Kang Ji Won in his promotional debut last November, Tynan plans to showcase the diversity of his skill set at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Vanilla Thunder” spoke to onefc.com ahead of his battle with judo and BJJ black belt Didier:
“When I go into fights, I don’t concern myself too much with the opponent. I watched some tape. I’ve seen his strengths, and sure, he’s maybe improved in some spots, but I’ve been improving every single day, and the team and coaches I’ve got up here have got me really confident in my skills.
“He seems like he’s a decent grappler. He’s got something of a clinch, I’ll give him that. That looks decent enough. But besides that, I don’t know. I don’t want to be too cocky, but I think I’m going to take this guy’s head off.”
Tynan dominated Kang before submitting him in the third stanza at ONE Fight Night 16, and he thinks he can get it done even quicker this time.
After submitting the dangerous striker, he intends on knocking out the grappler and showing the world how potent he’s becoming in every area of mixed martial arts at Elevation Fight Team in Colorado.
The 30-year-old said:
“I say first-round finish. I plan on taking his head off his shoulders. I want some big strikes. He doesn’t really like to strike too much, and in a lot of my fights, you don’t see much striking.
“I’m so focused on my wrestling that people think I can only wrestle, but what people don’t realize is I train with some of the best out here in Denver, and I can strike too. So I want to take his head off.
“That’s fun, and knockouts are exciting. And they feel good. That’s what I’m hunting for. But if it goes to the ground, I’ll finish him there, too.”
‘I Will Be One Of The Biggest Names In This Company’
Ben Tynan has the skills and charisma to be a superstar, and with a perfect 5-0 slate, he has a solid foundation to begin that charge.
However, he knows it will take more time and impressive results to insert himself into the heavyweight MMA division’s upper echelon.
Starting with his next matchup against Duke Didier, the Canadian wants to take out higher-profile opponents to make himself a star in both Asia and his native North America:
“I think with a good finish here, I want to fight some bigger names for sure. I will fight some of the top heavyweights in ONE, and I really want to fight on the card here in Denver too [on September 6]. I think that’d be pretty sick.
“That’s something I want to be pushing for. I’ll beat this Australian up and then get ready for a fight here in Denver.”
With growing interest in “Vanilla Thunder,” there will be plenty of eyes on his battle at ONE Fight Night 21.
Tynan wants to make sure they stay locked on – because he believes he’s going all the way to the top:
“This is just the start, baby. If I was to say anything to the fans, it’s get on board the ‘Vanilla Thunderstorm’ because this is literally just the beginning of something really big.
“I may not have the recognition or the hype these other guys have right now, but I guarantee within this next year, I will be one of the biggest names in this company.”
