Tag: Reinier de ridder

Anatoly Malykhin becomes three-division world champion with TKO finish of Reinier de Ridder – ONE 166 Highlights

Anatoly MalykhinRussian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin made MMA history, becoming the first fighter to hold world championships in three different divisions…

Anatoly Malykhin

Russian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin made MMA history, becoming the first fighter to hold world championships in three different divisions simultaneously.

Already holding both the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, ‘Sladkiy’ returned to the Circle at ONE 166 in Qatar for a main event showdown with middleweight MMA champion Reinier de Ridder. After succumbing to a first-round KO in their first meeting in December 2022, ‘The Dutch Knight’ fared much better in the early going, using his clinch work to stop Malykhin’s frequent onslaughts.

However, de Ridder’s defense-heavy style couldn’t hold up to the continued attacks, particularly as Anatoly Malykhin began to viciously attack his opponent’s body in the second round.

Coming out for round three, Reinier de Ridder quickly shot in for a desperation takedown attempt which Malykhin easily defended. Ending up on top, ‘Sladkiy’ landed some ground-and-pound strikes, including a couple of well-placed knees before RDR could muster the energy to roll through to his back. Recognizing the impeccable ground game of the Dutchman, Malykin quickly disengaged and got back to his feet.

De Ridder, on the other hand, was exhausted. So much so that he couldn’t muster the energy necessary to stand up and continue, forcing referee Herb Dean to call for the stoppage.

Official Result: Anatoly Malykhin def. Reinier de Ridder via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:16 of Round 3 to win the ONE middleweight MMA world championship

With the victory, Anatoly Malykhin maintained his undefeated record, moving to 14-0. He also kept his 100% finish rate intact and became MMA’s first-ever three-sport world champion.

Check Out Highlights From Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166:

Reinier de Ridder’s Opponent For Upcoming Debut Says UFC Wins Either Way: “See, Our Guys Are Better!”

On November 9 at the UFC Apex, Gerald Meerschaert draws the task of welcoming Reinier de Ridder to the Octagon. The former two-weight titleholder in ONE Championship was recently announced to have signed with the promotion, making this one of the more highly anticipated debuts of the year. For the veteran Meerschaert, coming up against […]

Continue Reading Reinier de Ridder’s Opponent For Upcoming Debut Says UFC Wins Either Way: “See, Our Guys Are Better!” at MMA News.

On November 9 at the UFC Apex, Gerald Meerschaert draws the task of welcoming Reinier de Ridder to the Octagon. The former two-weight titleholder in ONE Championship was recently announced to have signed with the promotion, making this one of the more highly anticipated debuts of the year.

For the veteran Meerschaert, coming up against opponents that have got hype behind them and playing the role of the underdog or party spoiler is nothing new. The 36-year old submission specialist is no stranger to taking on guys that are on the rise and he doesn’t mind that.

The result may not have gone his way but he was the third UFC opponent of Khamzat Chimaev during the absolute peak of the massive amounts of excitement around him. When looking at this fight, rather than him being set up to lose to “The Dutch Knight”, he believes that the UFC benefits from either outcome.

Unlike the Chimaev fight where a loss would have derailed an incredibly exciting addition to the roster, Meerschaert told James Lynch in a recent interview for Inside Fighting that if he goes out there and beats de Ridder, it’s a great look for the promotion.

If he loses to his fellow grappling ace, then the UFC has a new contender that it can push towards big things in the middleweight division. Putting this fight together means that the promotion can’t lose regardless of the outcome.

“I can see both sides of that because if he wins and they want to invest in him, there’s someone there that you get fresh into the mix but on the same hand, I could see them giving him to me just on the, I do like to derail hype trains. Obviously I didn’t with Chimaev but how great for them to have their guy who’s a submission guy beat ONE FC’s double champ so they can be like, ‘See, our guys are better!’ They can play off either way of that, I don’t know if that’s the reason why. There’s certainly tougher match-ups they could have given him to your point but either way, I’m here.”

Continue Reading Reinier de Ridder’s Opponent For Upcoming Debut Says UFC Wins Either Way: “See, Our Guys Are Better!” at MMA News.

‘Bad Man Coming…’ – Fans React To UFC Signing Former Two-Division ONE Champion Reinier de Ridder

The UFC middleweight division just got an eyebrow-raising addition. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion has appeared more willing to sign high-profile names who established themselves under the banners of other organizations in recent times. Notably, the UFC has added Michael “Venom” Page, Kai Asakura, and Kayla Harrison to its roster. Now joining them is Reinier […]

Continue Reading ‘Bad Man Coming…’ – Fans React To UFC Signing Former Two-Division ONE Champion Reinier de Ridder at MMA News.

The UFC middleweight division just got an eyebrow-raising addition.

Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion has appeared more willing to sign high-profile names who established themselves under the banners of other organizations in recent times.

Notably, the UFC has added Michael “Venom” Page, Kai Asakura, and Kayla Harrison to its roster. Now joining them is Reinier de Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder who became a free agent earlier this year.

After reports of his arrival, “The Dutch Knight” confirmed that he is UFC bound in a video on his Instagram account.

De Ridder (17-2) recorded his final ONE win in July 2022 when he submitted Vitaly Bigdash with an inverted triangle choke. The result was a successful defense of his middleweight (205 pounds) belt, which he held alongside the promotion’s light heavyweight championship (225 pounds).

But the Dutchman had his then-perfect record blemished and both of his titles ripped away in a two-fight series with Anatoly Malykhin, who now holds three pieces of gold in ONE.

The 34-year-old parted ways with ONE following his March loss to the Russian, competing once since. De Ridder returned to winning ways with a knockout victory over Magomedmurad Khasaev at UAE Warriors 51 this past July.

He’ll now look to continue his momentum inside the Octagon, where he’s expected to make a splash at 185 pounds.

Fans React To Reinier de Ridder’s UFC Signing

Unsurprisingly, the news of the UFC’s latest high-profile signing drew immediate reactions from the MMA community on social media.

The fanbase appeared split, with some backing de Ridder for immediate success and others suggesting that the Breda, Netherlands native has arrived in the sport’s leading promotion too late in his career.

Continue Reading ‘Bad Man Coming…’ – Fans React To UFC Signing Former Two-Division ONE Champion Reinier de Ridder at MMA News.

Reinier de Ridder Scores First Round Inverted Triangle Submission Over Vitaly Bigdash – ONE 159 Highlights

Reinier de RidderReinier de Ridder earned his 16th straight victory in the main event of ONE 159 on Friday to remain the promotion’s two-division world champion. To close the show, ‘The Dutch Knight’ took on former middleweight world titleholder Vitaly Bigdash. The opening moments of the fight had fans on the edge of their seats. ‘The Dutch […]

Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder earned his 16th straight victory in the main event of ONE 159 on Friday to remain the promotion’s two-division world champion. To close the show, ‘The Dutch Knight’ took on former middleweight world titleholder Vitaly Bigdash.

The opening moments of the fight had fans on the edge of their seats. ‘The Dutch Knight’ immediately took the center of the ONE Circle and began stalking Bigdash. 20 seconds into the fight, De Ridder initiated a clinch against the fence but exposed his neck in the process. Bigdash immediately sunk his arm in for a guillotine choke. Bigdash went all in, pulling guard and tightening his grip.

De Ridder’s face was noticeably changing colors, but the Dutchman was far from giving up. After 40 seconds, ‘The Dutch Knight’ was able to pull away from the attempted choke. From there, it was all De Ridder who postured up, looking to punish Bigdash before making his move. Dropping back down into Bigdash’s half-guard, De Ridder appeared to attempt a kimura. This caused Bigdash to scramble out of danger and momentarily reverse position.

Unfortunately for the Russian challenger, he left his head and arm wide open for an inverted triangle. Seeing the opportunity, Reinier de Ridder locked in the position. Ten seconds later, Bigdash was unconscious, and ‘The Dutch Knight’ was still ONE Championship‘s undefeated two-sport world titleholder.

Reinier de Ridder is Ready for a Third World Championship

Earning a $50,000 bonus for his ONE 159 main event performance, De Ridder was nothing short of direct when asked what he wants to do next in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson.

“I’m done asking Mitch,” said De Ridder. “You know what’s next.”

When Chilson translated that as ‘The Dutch Knight’ wanting to go for the heavyweight crown, he asked the Dutchman if he’d rather face reigning ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar or the current interim heavyweight titleholder Anatoly Malykhin.

“I want them both in the same night,” De Ridder said.

While no official date has been announced, Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin are slated to face one another in a heavyweight title unification bout. Given his utter dominance, it would be hard to imagine that ONE denies ‘The Dutch Knight’ of going for a historic third world championship.

Undefeated 2-Division Champion Reinier de Ridder Targeting A Third Belt Before Fighting Israel Adesanya

reinier de ridder, Israel AdesanyaDutch fighter Reinier de Ridder is set on getting a third belt before competing with Israel Adesanya. Two-division ONE Championship king Ridder scored a major upset against former two-title holder Aung La Nsang to secure the middleweight strap in October 2020 at ONE: Inside the Matrix. Considering how big of a shock the result was, […]

reinier de ridder, Israel Adesanya

Dutch fighter Reinier de Ridder is set on getting a third belt before competing with Israel Adesanya.

Two-division ONE Championship king Ridder scored a major upset against former two-title holder Aung La Nsang to secure the middleweight strap in October 2020 at ONE: Inside the Matrix.

Considering how big of a shock the result was, some alleged the win to be a fluke. De Ridder would prove the doubters wrong when he stepped in on short notice to take on La Nsang at light heavyweight and defeated “The Burmese Python” one more time at ONE on TNT 4 in April 2021.

Reinier de Ridder eyeing a move up to heavyweight to get the third belt

De Ridder is set to defend his middleweight strap against Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159 this Friday. Ahead of his upcoming bout, “The Dutch Knight” talked to talkSPORT about his plans next.

“I’ve been calling for it for a couple of fights now, but heavyweight is there. I’ve beat the welterweight champ. I’ve beat the middleweight champ. I’ve beat the light-heavyweight champ, so I think it’s time,” de Ridder said.

Although he makes a solid case for going up to heavyweight and challenging the reigning champion Arjan Bhullar, he’s not sure if he’ll get the chance as Bhullar eyes a move down to compete against him.

“Is ONE [Championship] interested? I’m not really sure right now. Arjan [Bhullar] is not because he’s been talking about coming back down the light-heavyweight, which is also fine to me. I just wanna know that I can beat everybody and I just wanna show everybody,” De Ridder said. (Transcribed by Jordan Ellis/talkSPORT).

De Ridder wants to fight Israel Adesanya

If De Ridder is able to prove his mettle in the Asian promotion up to his satisfaction, he will then target a move over to the UFC in hopes of a fight with Israel Adesanya. He talked about Adesanya’s lackluster performance in his last title defense against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276.

“I think he’s a bit too distracted, man. I think he’s too focused on everything around fighting and not fighting itself. It’s about the walkout. It’s about the social media stuff. It’s about the metrosexuality [laughs] – the painted fingernails,” de Ridder said.

“It’s all show now, fighting is not the primary thing. I think he should get back to his roots, put his phone away, put the laptop away and start training again.”

De Ridder believes he has what it takes to hand Adesanya his first defeat at 185 lb in the sport.

“I think he’s very, very vulnerable in the open space. His takedown defence against the fence is alright but in the open space it’s just not there,” de Ridder said.

“It’s not like, he does have power, but he doesn’t have one-shot knockout power, to be honest. You don’t need to be as cautious as most people are against him. You can eat a couple of shots before taking him down.

“I think it’s pretty possible. It’s something that might happen sooner rather than later.”

Would you like to see Reinier de Ridder fight Israel Adesanya?

Reinier De Ridder Believes He Could Beat Israel Adesanya And Believes His Style Matches Up Well Against Him

Reinier De RidderReinier De Ridder believes that his style matches up well against the current UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.  De Ridder is the current One Championship Middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He is also training with current Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. De Ridder is getting a fantastic gauge of much of an elite fighter he […]

Reinier De Ridder

Reinier De Ridder believes that his style matches up well against the current UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. 

De Ridder is the current One Championship Middleweight and light heavyweight champion. He is also training with current Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. De Ridder is getting a fantastic gauge of much of an elite fighter he truly is. 

He is currently undefeated inside the octagon and holds a record of 15-0. His most recent fight was against Kiamrian Abbasov this past February, when he submitted him in the third round. He has been eyeing up a matchup with Adesanya for a little while now.

Reinier De Ridder believes that his style is a mismatch for Adesanya, and believes he could submit him easily. 

“By training with him (Mousasi), I know my level,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie Radio. “I know I can hang with the best of them. If I look at like Israel Adesanya, the way he moves, his style, it’s like tailor-made for me. That guy is the easiest fight for me at middleweight around at the top. The way he moves, he’s so easy to be taken down in the open space. His wrestling defense against the wall is amazing. He gets up well, he defends all right on the floor, but I think I can choke that guy out easily.” (Transcribed by MMAJunkie)

De Ridder as no intentions of leaving the organization any time soon. He believes that the fight could be very lucrative for both him and Adesanya and wouldn’t rule it out.

“We have a small opportunity to make good money to support our families, to invest in the future, so the more competition there is, the better,” de Ridder said. “Now there’s Bellator, there’s UFC, there’s ONE, there’s PFL. All good organizations where there’s money on the table, so if I go to free agency soon then I’ll be interested in talking to everyone, but I’m very happy with what ONE is doing, with what they’re offering me, so we’ll see.” 

Do you think De Ridder has a chance against Adesanya in a bout?