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Reigning ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier de Ridder ponders what could have been if only he survived Anatoly Malykhin’s first-round onslaught at ONE on Prime Video 5 back in 2022.
As far as ‘The Dutch Knight’ is concerned, he still stood a fighting chance to turn the tide if he was able to return to his corner and compose himself for the second frame.
De Ridder, in an interview with Sherdog, played the game of “what if” and wondered how different things would have been in an alternate universe.
“That was something that I was thinking about the first few months after the fight, if only I could’ve survived a minute more.”
As expected, the BJJ blackbelt de Ridder initiated a grappling war as soon as the bell rang.
However, for the first time in his career, the Dutchman was unable to dictate the fight on his own terms and instead played right into Malykhin’s gameplan.
After getting battered on the feet, the 33-year-old ultimately met his demise via a brutal right hand with just under 30 seconds left in the opening round.
Do you think ‘RDR’ could have pulled off a miraculous comeback after that wicked mauling?
Rewatch Reinier de Ridder vs. Anatoly Malykhin 1:
Reinier de Ridder’s redemption arc begins at ONE 166: Qatar
Reinier de Ridder is fully aware of his mistakes that resulted in him losing the ONE light heavyweight MMA crown to the hard-hitting Russian.
Humbled by that setback, the previously undefeated superstar was critical of himself in an earlier interview with ONE:
“I kind of lost track of what makes me great. I got away from putting in the time as much, developing every little small area of my game.”
‘The Dutch Knight’ wants to make sure lightning won’t strike twice in two weeks when he meets Anatoly Malykhin anew in the curtain closer of the historic ONE 166: Qatar.
‘Sladkiy’ is on a quest to become a three-division MMA world champion by taking away ‘RDR’s remaining middleweight MMA crown.
We’ll soon see if Reinier de Ridder can get even inside Lusail Sports Arena.
ONE 166: Qatar will air live on March 1 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada
