Reinier de Ridder.
O
NE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder is set to return to the ONE Championship Circle in the main event of ONE Fight Night 5 on Dec. 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.
The Dutch Knight will take on interim heavyweight titleholder Anatoly Malykhin in his first defense of the ONE Light Heavyweight World Title, and fans should expect fireworks to go down when the two unbeaten superstars square off.
De Ridder has been electric in his ONE tenure thus far, and before he makes the walk for a jaw-dropping fourth time this year, we break down three things you should know about the Dutch dynamo.
1. He’s undefeated in MMA
De Ridder holds a perfect 16-0 record in mixed martial arts (MMA), with many of his fights ending in the opening round. Since his debut in 2019, the 32-year-old superstar has picked up only two decision wins inside the Circle. The rest have come by submission or knockout.
He takes on a finishing machine in Malykhin at ONE Fight Night 5, so there is a strong chance that their World Title battle will not go the distance.
2. He’s won a performance bonus – twice
Not many fighters have picked up a US$50,000 performance bonus that ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong gives out on fight night, but de Ridder has been able to do it in back-to-back fights.
The Breda native won his first bonus for successfully defending his middleweight crown against Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February, and he bagged his second by doing the same against Vitaly Bigdash in July.
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The Dutch Knight has demonstrated his grappling skills time and time again in the Circle, but not many people would know that he holds a black belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
His expertise in these disciplines has helped him pick up 11 submission wins from his 16 victories.
Catch the World Champion back in action at ONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Tickets can be purchased at https://smtickets.com/events/view/11438.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.
