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He may have fallen short of the goal, but former two-division king Reinier de Ridder got a bit of consolation in his epic rematch against Anatoly Malykhin.
The two rivals closed the show of a historic ONE 166 card that saw Malykhin stop de Ridder in the third round to become a three-division world champion.
Although he relinquished the ONE middleweight MMA world title to Malykhin, de Ridder looked at the silver lining and was proud to see strides in his striking game.
Reinier de Ridder shared some of his success on the feet and posted on Instagram:
“Here are some more good shots. I was able to showcase what I’ve been working on. Whoever is next will have his hands full. Thank you all for the support.”
De Ridder, who once held both the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight MMA world titles, arguably had the best stand-up display of his career when he faced Malykhin this past weekend at Lusail Sports Arena.
The 6-foot-4 Dutchman showed relative ease in keeping the distance with his push kicks and even managed to knock Malykhin down during the fight.
Malykhin, however, was just at another level during the fight and relentlessly pursued the knockout.
‘Sladkiy’ ultimately got his goal when he stopped de Ridder 1:16 into the third to become the ONE middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight MMA world champion.
Anatoly Malykhin has nothing but praise for Reinier de Ridder
Anatoly Malykhin is largely an unstoppable force in ONE Championship, but Reinier de Ridder produced incredible moments where he made the Russian juggernaut look human.
Although he was unable to land his trademark takedowns, de Ridder managed to go strike-for-strike with Malykhin.
In his post-fight interview with ONE Championship commentator Mitch Chilson, Malykhin showed why he has nothing but respect for the former champ-champ.
“This guy is a legend. This guy is the best of the best, my opponent. Every day, I looked forward to [fighting] this guy. I trained and trained and trained. [He was] 16-0. [We are] two of the best of the best fighters in the world.”
ONE 166 is available on free replay to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
