Duke Didier will return for his first fight since 2022 next month.
“The Duke of Canberra” will face Ben Tynan in a heavyweight MMA contest at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs Nicolas at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 6.
Didier hasn’t been seen in MMA competition since a controversial split decision loss to Jasur Mirzamukhamedov in his ONE debut almost two years ago.
The 34-year-old had a legitimate claim to have won the fight but ultimately, he came up short after taking some hard knees on the ground from his Uzbek opponent.
The 8-1 Didier holds black belts in judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but he will face a different challenge next against wrestling standout Tynan.
“Vanilla Thunder” is a former NCAA Division I wrestler, and he holds a perfect 5-0 record in MMA.
Tynan made his ONE debut this past November, with a third-round submission win over South Korean knockout artist Kang Ji Won putting the Canadian on the heavyweight map.
The winner of the contest will take a big step forward in ONE’s heavyweight division that is headlined by hulking stars such as Anatoly Malykhin, Oumar “Reug Reug” Kane, Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, and Amir Aliakbari.
Didier is the second Australian to represent at ONE Fight Night 21, with grappling standout Izaak Michell set to challenge ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo in the co-main event.
ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas Announced Bouts
ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title: Regian Eersel (c) vs. Alexis Nicolas
ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Title: Tye Ruotolo (c) vs. Izaak Michell
Catchweight (180lb) Submission Grappling: Kade Ruotolo vs. Francisco Lo
Flyweight Muay Thai: Jacob Smith vs. Denis Puric
Welterweight MMA: Hiroyuki Tetsuka vs. Valmir Da Silva
Women’s Atomweight MMA: Jihin Radzuan vs. Ayaka Miura
