“Don't get hit” – Middleweight MMA king Reinier de Ridder bares gameplan for high-stakes rematch with Anatoly Malykhin

ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier de Ridder recently announced his gameplan to beat Anatoly Malykhin in their high-stakes rematch at ONE 166: Qatar.

‘The Dutch Knight’ isn’t revealing anything new when he says he’s the No.1 middleweight in the world. But the fact of the matter is, he’s got to prove it against a guy who’s already beaten him once.

At ONE 166: Qatar, de Ridder will attempt to avenge his only loss to Malykhin by defending his ONE middleweight world title on March 1. The significant test he’ll have in his rematch will be to outsmart Malykhin with a flawless game plan.

Without embellishing, he told ONE Championship:

“Don't get hit. Have some fun. Kick him a couple of times. Hit him a couple of times. Take him down, choke him out. I love it.”

De Ridder’s first professional career loss at ONE on Prime Video 5 came as a massive blow to the MMA world. The once-undefeated two-division world champion looked out of his element when he defended the light heavyweight belt against Malykhin in December of 2022.

His offense was off, his wrestling was sloppy, and his defense was, at best, mediocre - suffice it to say, it was a poor performance on all fronts. It was certainly time for de Ridder to regroup and find himself again.

Hence, being away from the MMA scene this past year has helped de Ridder focus on what’s important. We are all excited to see what major improvements he’s made to his game.

ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Reinier de Ridder says rematch against Anatoly Malykhin is all about redemption

Reinier de Ridder has a second chance to set things right ahead of his rematch at ONE 166: Qatar.

Being at the bottom of the barrel has certainly humbled de Ridder in more ways than one. However, this experience has only propelled him to be better. He went back to the drawing board, learned and listened to his coaches, and drilled techniques every day in preparation for a pending rematch with Anatoly Malykhin.

Speaking to ONE, de Ridder said:

“I’m very happy that it’s Malykhin again. Very happy that it’s a chance to redeem myself, which is the most important thing. It’s about me getting back on this last fight. It’s about me redeeming myself. It’s about redemption.”