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ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier de Ridder has been evolving his fighting game behind the scenes.
In December 2022, De Ridder’s professional MMA career was turned upside down when Anatoly Malykhin knocked him out in round one for his light heavyweight throne. ‘The Dutch Knight’ hasn’t fought in MMA since, but he’s been preparing for his opportunity to face Malykhin for a second time.
On March 1, Malykhin will move down to middleweight and attempt to become a three-division world champion in a rematch against De Ridder. The hard-hitting Russian has been active and collecting belts since their first meeting, while ‘The Dutch Knight’ has been evolving.
De Ridder had this to say during an interview with ONE about his extended MMA layoff
“Not too much. I was ready to go but didn't get a chance. I'm happy to have this fight in front of me. Not too much has changed, just been grinding, training hard, getting better. That's about it.”
It should be noted that Reinier de Ridder has competed once since fighting Anatoly Malykhin. In May 2023, De Ridder faced Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 10, with Ruotolo emerging victorious by unanimous decision.
Reinier de Ridder is looking forward to ‘chance for revenge’ against Anatoly Malykhin
Reinier de Ridder was unbeatable before suffering his lone defeat against Anatoly Malykhin. Meanwhile, Malykhin is in a similar spot that De Ridder once was, as the Russian powerhouse is a two-division world champion with an undefeated professional MMA record.
During an interview with InTheCage, De Ridder had this to say about getting the opportunity to face Malykhin in a rematch:
“I’ve wanted a rematch with this guy because it's the only thing that counts. Come on, I beat everybody, whoever they ever put in front of me. And now, this one guy beat me, so I need this back. This is my chance for revenge, I feel.”
ONE 166: Qatar goes down inside the Lusail Sports Arena at Lusail Sports Arena. The event can be seen live and for free by North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Watch De Ridder's interview with InTheCage below:
