Ekaterina Vandaryeva cherishes resounding victory at ONE Fight Night 20

Ekaterina Vandaryeva achieved a milestone she had long yearned for — a triumph on the ONE Championship stage.

This momentous achievement unfolded at ONE Fight Night 20 on Prime Video last Friday, March 8. There, she emerged victorious in a strawweight Muay Thai bout against Martyna Kierczynska by unanimous decision.

It wasn’t an easy road for Vandaryeva, who had faced crucial defeats in her previous four attempts to claim a victory in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Despite previous setbacks, the Belarusian’s determination and commitment remained unwavering.

“In general, victory feels great, but to be able to get the victory on International Women’s Day feels more amazing. I feel great,” she said.

Vandaryeva’s win stunned fans even more because of the formidable foe she faced in Kierczynska.

As a rising star in the striking world, Kierczynska presented a tough challenge. The odds were stacked against Vandaryeva. But it was precisely in this adversity where she found the opportunity to shine.

“Barbie” spent much of the first round carefully looking for opportunities to land effective counter-strikes.

However, it was in the second stanza that she found her rhythm. She delivered a picture-perfect straight right hand that resulted in the only knockdown of the contest.

“I was just doing everything according to plan. I was using my skills, power, strength, and technique. Martyna is really powerful, and she goes forward but at the same time, that’s her weakness,” Vandaryeva said.

“She has holes in her defense, and I knew if I didn’t scramble and kept everything technical, I was going to get the win.”

Kierczynska made a spirited comeback in the third frame. However, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges in her favor on the scorecards.

Acknowledging the taxing nature of the match, Vandaryeva gracefully conceded that the win was no walk in the park.

“Yeah, she’s a pretty good fighter. Her team is great, she was getting ready and training well, but at the same time I knew that she makes mistakes,” the Staryya Darohi native said.

“She goes all out when she moves forward, and I knew that I could get the victory.”

Ekaterina Vandaryeva delighted to spoil foe’s hype

Delighted with her performance, Ekaterina Vandaryeva expressed her joy at rising to the occasion against Martyna Kierczynska.

“There was a lot of hype around Martyna before the fight, but at the same time, we can’t forget that this is martial arts,” she said.

“The hype doesn’t really matter. The fight matters because fights can go in a random direction. They can go in any direction, and sometimes when you have a fighter that’s not the strongest but has an awkward style, it can be hard to fight against.”