Vitaly Bigdash Ruled Out Of Middleweight Clash In Jakarta

Vitaly Bigdash has been ruled out of ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE.

The former ONE Middleweight World Champion was scheduled to take on Brazilian contender Leandro Ataides in a hotly-anticipated clash that could have possibly determined the next challenger for the ONE Middleweight World Title, currently held by Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang.

With Bigdash being pulled from the contest due to injury, fellow countryman Vitalii Shemetov steps in to replace him at just three days’ notice.

Known as “The Dancing Russian,” Shemetov holds an extensive professional record of 28-9, 1 NC, and heads into Saturday’s event at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on an impressive run of form.

A seven-time National Pankration Champion with a background in sambo and kickboxing, Shemetov has not lost a cage match since 2010. He is on an unbeaten run of 11 bouts, with his 10-bout win streak only halted by a no-contest result after an accidental clash of heads.

The 32-year-old Omsk, Russia native has also developed a reputation as a finisher. In fact, 18 of his career victories have come inside the distance.

Shemetov, who trains out of the Shembros Academy, has been handed a huge opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest stage for martial arts, and upset a respected former world title challenger in the five-time BJJ world champion Ataides.

If “The Dancing Russian” were to pull off the victory in Jakarta this weekend, he would undoubtedly announce himself as a force to be reckoned with in the organization’s middleweight division.