“I lost that mentality” – Humbled Reinier de Ridder won’t bring ‘that same confidence’ heading into Anatoly Malykhin rematch

ONE middleweight MMA world champion, Reinier de Ridder, is mindful not to come into his scheduled rematch with Anatoly Malykhin later this week overconfident. He said he had learned from their first encounter, where he was knocked out in the opening round, and he would not want to have a repeat of it.

‘The Dutch Knight’ will try to defend the remaining world title in his possession against ‘Sladkiy’ at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1. It serves as the main bout for the landmark event, happening at the Lusail Sports Arena.

It 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.

Heading into their rematch, the 33-year-old Combat Brothers standout said the defeat served as a big lesson for him, particularly in not underestimating his opponent, like what happened against Malykhin the first time around. Reinier de Ridder told the South China Morning Post in an interview:

“I thought this is just how fights go, this is who I am, I am that dude that destroys everybody. But I kind of lost that mentality and I just don’t think I want to bring that same confidence. I’m focused on the small little things that I need to get me over that guy.”

Watch the interview below:

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Reinier de Ridder returns to MMA after a brief detour to submission grappling

Apart from trying to retain the ONE middleweight world title, Reinier de Ridder is out to make a successful return to MMA at ONE 166: Qatar later this week after making a brief detour to submission grappling in his last fight.

The Netherlander took on American grappling ace Tye Ruotolo in a middleweight submission grappling superfight in ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States back in May. He gave Ruotolo a lot to handle in their showdown but, in the end, was not able to get the nod of the judges, losing by unanimous decision.

Despite the loss, Reinier de Ridder was grateful for the opportunity to sharpen his grappling skills, which has been a huge part of his MMA game, while also competing in front of the American audience.

In his return to MMA at ONE 166, De Ridder is up against a familiar opponent who got the better of him in their first encounter in December 2022, where he lost in the process the ONE light heavyweight world title he previously also held.

In Malykhin, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is facing a fighter who is seeking to make history by holding three MMA championship belts at the same time. He is gunning for the middleweight gold to add to the light heavyweight and heavyweight straps already in his possession.

ONE 166: Qatar is available to Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America live and for free on Friday, March 1.