Reinier de Ridder thankful for experiencing ‘amazing highs and deep lows’ in MMA career

ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier de Ridder said he now has a better perspective of being a fighter after all he has had to go through in his combat sports journey. That included the deepest of lows which tested his resolve.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, ‘The Dutch Knight’ shared how he has evolved as a martial artist, honed by his different experiences along the way, including the humbling knockout loss he absorbed at the hands of Anatoly Malykhin in December 2022.

The 33-year-old Combat Brothers standout said:

“It was rough at the beginning, yeah. It was rough to lose especially in this fashion, with the knockout. But some thoughts popped up in my mind pretty soon, one that helped me overcome it. [I must say] it made me feel pretty privileged that we can experience these deep valleys, these deep deep lows, and these amazing highs in our sport.”

He went on to say:

“Most people go through life, their entire life they sit in front of a computer screen or in an office and they’d never really get to experience these lows or these highs or what we get to experience. So for me, there were plenty of highs but at that time, after I hit the low, I was like it's okay. I got this opportunity in front of me to make it a good thing now.”

Watch the interview below:

Reinier de Ridder returns to action on March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar, where he will defend the middleweight MMA belt against two-division king Anatoly Malykhin in an all-champion clash.

It is the headlining contest of the landmark event happening at the Lusail Sports Arena and available to Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live and for free.

The contest is a rematch of their first title clash in December 2022, where the Russian juggernaut took the light heavyweight world title from De Ridder with an explosive KO finish.

Reinier de Ridder said the defeat provided a big lesson for him, something he looks to put to good use moving forward.

---

Reinier de Ridder says he was off in first encounter with Anatoly Malykhin

With the benefit of hindsight, Reinier de Ridder said it was no longer a surprise that he lost to Anatoly Malykhin in their first encounter. He said that he was off with his game and it all made the difference.

The Dutch fighter lost the ONE light heavyweight world title he also previously held to ‘Sladkiy’ in their title showdown in December 2022 in Manila, knocked out in the opening round after he fell prey to a flurry of ferocious strikes.

In a documentary produced by Threepeat Media, Reinier De Ridder spoke of what took place in his first showdown with Malykhin, including what dug him in, saying:

“I thought I was just gonna go in and do the thing I always do. I was in the zone pretty well. There was nothing really different than normal. I walked into a right hand pretty early, and just everything was off from there.”

The two fighters will run it over at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1, where De Ridder will defend the remaining world title in his possession – the middleweight gold – against Malykhin.

De Ridder-Malykhin 2 will be the headlining match at ONE 166, which is a 10-fight event marking the promotion’s first-ever live on-ground event in Qatar.