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Reinier de Ridder isn’t letting Anatoly Malykhin hold the lead in their rivalry for much longer.
The reigning ONE middleweight MMA world champion will put his last piece of ONE Championship gold on the line in a rematch against Malykhin at ONE 166: Qatar on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena.
In an interview with Threepeat Media, de Ridder vowed to fix his mistakes and even the score against the reigning ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world champion.
Reinier de Ridder said:
“Fixing all the points I did wrong mentally, physically, and technically, to get him back. Get revenge.”
‘The Dutch Knight’ was once on top of the world and held both the middleweight and light heavyweight MMA belts, but Malykhin took the champ-champ status for himself in their first meeting at ONE on Prime Video 5.
Malykhin, then the interim heavyweight MMA king, dominated de Ridder to claim the ONE light heavyweight MMA world title in Manila.
Half a year after he beat de Ridder, Malykhin claimed his second undisputed world title when he knocked out Arjan Bhullar in their unification match for the ONE heavyweight MMA world championship at ONE Friday Fights 22.
Reinier de Ridder plans to use a more cautious approach against Malykhin in rematch
Reinier de Ridder was a perfect 16-0 when he faced Malykhin for the first time in Manila, but that momentum was crushed under the Russian juggernaut’s immense power.
‘The Dutch Knight’ tried to match Malykhin’s raw aggression, and it cost his perfect record and the ONE light heavyweight MMA gold.
In an interview with ONE Championship, de Ridder said he plans to play it safe against Malykhin in Qatar and slowly work his way to his preferred submission finish.
“I know where my strengths lie in this one. I know where I can do what I do best. It’s just a matter of time before I get those openings. As long as I stay safe, I’m going to find his neck eventually.”
ONE 166 is ONE Championship’s first on-site event in Qatar and will be broadcast live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
