“His wrestling is not that special” - Reinier de Ridder not concerned with Anatoly Malykhin’s strength in the clinch

At ONE on Prime Video 5, Reinier de Ridder will defend his light heavyweight title for the first time. ‘The Dutch Knight’ will face perhaps his most dangerous opponent till date in interim heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin.

With both men’s undefeated records and finishing abilities, a lot has been made about the contrast in styles. Whilst Reinier de Ridder has been able to outgrapple and submit most of his opponents inside the circle, Malykhin has let his power do the talking.

The big question that the defending champion has to answer in this fight is whether the size, strength and wrestling ability of Malykhin will prevent him from getting takedowns and putting the fight in his comfort zone.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Reinier de Ridder gave his assessment of his opponent's grappling abilities and whether he sees it as an issue:

“No, it's interesting, at least. In the fights with ONE, he doesn't wrestle at all, but before he used to do a one-two and then a double, and then end up in the guard. And then using the guard, he would ground and pound a bit. What I've seen from videos is that his wrestling is not that special, to be honest.”

Watch the full interview below:

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2 (US primetime) and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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“I have some special things” – Reinier de Ridder used to train his grip with 1980’s crush grippers

Reinier de Ridder has produced one of the most dominant runs ever seen in ONE Championship. With seven consecutive victories, winning two world championships in the process, no opponent has been able to compete with ‘The Dutch Knight’ once he has his hands on them.

The submission expert has gone 16-0 in his professional career, with 12 of his wins ending in a tap from his opponent. With a variety of techniques in his arsenal, the double champion has made a habit of wrapping his opponents up like a snake.

During an appearance on Morning Kombat, Reinier de Ridder spoke about how he previously trained his grip strength with devices known as crush grippers but has since transitioned to new methods that he wants to keep a secret:

“I used to, but I don’t really think that really helped me too much [crush grippers]. But I have some special things I do for my squeeze strength. I won’t give it away.”

The defending champion has already picked up two submission victories inside the circle this year. With middleweight victories over Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will now face his most dangerous opponent of the year in just a matter of days when he takes on Anatoly Malykhin.

Watch the full interview below: