Reinier de Ridder continued his UFC takeover earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) at UFC 311 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif., as the former ONE Championship double champion submitted veteran Kevin Holland with a first-round rear-naked choke.
If de Ridder was going to win this fight it was going to be with his submissions, but he needed to get Holland to the ground first. Luckily for “RDR,” it didn’t take him that long to secure a nice takedown and start to implement his ground game. Holland possesses good scrambling ability and sneaky submission of his own, but de Ridder is in a different league at 185 pounds.
The Dutch veteran eventually got a hold of Holland’s back and worked for the rear-naked choke. De Ridder snuck his arm under Holland’s chin and squeezed to force the tap. It was a nice performance considering Holland has only been submitted twice before in his lengthy UFC career.
Check out the video highlights below:
Reinier de Ridder submits Kevin Holland in Round 1 #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/fIvSTRJ0ge
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 19, 2025
De Ridder, 34, was fairly hyped when he made his debut in late 2024 and he’s delivered on arrival. This is his second-straight submission finish over a battle-tested UFC veteran and more than enough to earn himself a shot at the top 15 next. UFC matchmakers may even throw “RDR” to the wolves with someone in the top 10. Either way, de Ridder is a sneaky contender to watch out for in 2025.
For complete UFC 311 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.