Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan has made his decision.
The 31-year-old Canadian superstar will take on Japanese wrecking ball Ryugo Takeuchi in a heavyweight mixed martial arts bout at ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video, which will air live in prime time in the United States this Friday (February 13).
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After a frustrating decision loss in his last fight, “Vanilla Thunder” plans to put on a great show at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Arena that will once again prove that he is a true contender for the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship.
Tynan has all the tools to pose a legitimate threat to the heavyweight elite.
A Canadian junior freestyle wrestling champion with one-punch knockout ability and a background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he has the skills to defeat his opponents in all areas of the game.
The self-proclaimed “Big Bad Vanilla” showed this off brilliantly in his promotional debut in November 2023, when he scored a submission victory over Korean knockout Kang Ji-won. He even defeated Australia’s Duke Didier shortly thereafter, although the fight was later declared a no-contest.
But his spotless record was shattered last August at ONE Fight Night 34, when he faced off against former ONE interim heavyweight MMA world title challenger Kirill Grishchenko. The Belarusian beast neutralized his attacks and handed him his first career loss via unanimous decision.
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That setback left a bitter taste for “Vanilla Thunder” as his reputation was built on spectacular performances rather than points wins. As painful as the loss was, what was even more frustrating was that it was a result of his decision.
Tynan said:
“It was my first decision, and it was kind of agonizing. He’s super skilled, and he’s really good at winning decisions. It wasn’t until I got into the third round that I realized, ‘This guy isn’t even trying to finish me, or anything.’
“I tried to get him to work with the big balls more, I tried to knock him down, and he did a good job of hitting the ball from distance and getting points.”
Tainan’s upcoming match against Takeuchi provides him with the perfect opportunity to get back into the win column and secure another stoppage win.
The 22-year-old Japanese monster from King Gym Kobe had a rough start in ONE Championship, but he showed off his immense potential and immense power by knocking out Kang last year.
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Ahead of this heavyweight fight, “Vanilla Thunder” has assembled an elite team of heavyweight training partners who push each other in high-altitude martial arts and pound-for-pound Muay Thai competitions located in Colorado.
Canadian says:
“Even though I’m splitting my time between different gyms, we still have our big heavyweight group together, we actually get together, we box together, we do wrestling practices together. So, we have a really high-level group of eight or nine heavyweights — legitimate heavyweights — and it works out great.”
Tynan promises quick finish at ONE Fight Night 40
Ben Tynan has extensively studied Takeuchi Ryugo’s fighting style, discovering the strengths that made him dangerous as well as the tendencies that could lead to his downfall.
The punk rock fan recognizes that youth and raw power can be a scary combination, but he also believes his experience and versatility will prove decisive when they meet on US primetime this Friday.
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Tynan said:
“He’s good. He’s explosive and exciting. I think he’s young. He’s got knockout ability, and, that’s pretty common in the heavyweight division, right? So, I feel like experience is going to play a big role in this fight.
“His biggest strength is also his biggest weakness — he starts brawling right away, which I think is awesome. It’s exciting. He doesn’t come out and use his range and win with points. He wants to behead people, which is awesome. I love that. I don’t think there are more decisions. I’m going to knock this guy out in one round.”
The Canadian destroyer claimed that the Japanese brawler’s willingness to engage immediately would create the necessary opportunities to secure the dazzling first-round contest he so desperately sought.
Tynan’s complete repertoire provides him with multiple paths to victory, allowing him to adjust his strategy depending on how the fight develops. Whether the action is standing or hitting the canvas, he can easily impose his will on any approach.
He said:
“The good thing about being ‘vanilla’ is I get to choose where we want to go, right? So, if I make him worry about my knockdown, I’ll chop his head off. And then if he worries about my hand, I’ll throw him to the ground and break him. So, I can go wherever I want it to go.”
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