"Reinier de Ridder is crazy, stupid, or he knows something I don't know" - Chatri Sityodtong reacts to de Ridder vs. Galvao at ONE X

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong (middle) thinks Reinier de Ridder (left) is "crazy" for fighting Andre Galvao (right) in a submission grappling match at ONE X. (Images courtesy of ONE Championship)
ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong (middle) thinks Reinier de Ridder (left) is "crazy" for fighting Andre Galvao (right) in a submission grappling match at ONE X. (Images courtesy of ONE Championship)

Reinier de Ridder and Andre Galvao are set to feature in a submission grappling match at ONE X. ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently gave his take on the matchup.

In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Sityodtong previewed ONE X, the biggest event in ONE Championship history. One of the highlights of the interview was his interesting take on the upcoming grappling bout between de Ridder, the reigning ONE double champion, and Andre Galvao, a Brazilian jiu jitsu legend.

Just over a month ago, de Ridder defended his belt in a one-sided beatdown of ONE welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov. In his post-fight interview, the confident champ-champ called out Galvao to fight him in his own game, submission grappling.

This is quite bold, even for a grappling specialist like de Ridder. The fight was made official shortly after and Sityodtong expressed his surprise at de Ridder's massive confidence:

"Reinier [de Ridder] is a high-level black belt, but not a world champion in [jiu jitsu]. [He's] obviously a world champion in mixed martial arts. Either Reinier is crazy or he's stupid or he knows something I don't know. Because to call out Andre Galvao, one of the greatest grapplers of all time..."

He added:

"In my own jiu jitsu journey, I've been able to roll with normal black belts and world championship-level black belts. And I can tell you, all black belts are not equal. There are huge gaps between a normal black belt and an elite world championship black belt. I mean, massive gaps. That's why I think Reinier is absolutely crazy, stupid, or he knows something I don't know."

Being a life-long martial artist and a brown belt in jiu jitsu himself, it is safe to say that Sityodtong knows what he is talking about.

Watch the interview below:

youtube-cover

Chatri Sityodtong gives his prediction for Reinier de Ridder vs. Andre Galvao match at ONE X

Given that Chatri Sityodtong has had extensive time interacting and training with numerous jiu jitsu black belts over the years, his assessment isn't completely unwarranted.

Andre Galvao has beaten the best of the best black belts and de Ridder has never won a medal at the black belt level. This is similar to when Conor McGregor, a man who has never fought in pro boxing, fought the greatest boxer of our generation, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Predicting how the de Ridder vs. Galvao match will play out, Sityodtong said:

"My bet is, Andre's going to steamroll him [de Ridder] and submit him very quickly."

ONE X is really packed with fights that are intriguing and exciting on paper. This submission grappling match is one of two on the card. ONE X will also feature the ONE debut of jiu jitsu phenom Danielle Kelly, who will tangle with MMA veteran Mei Yamaguchi.

Sityodtong wasn't lying when he said that this event might become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, martial arts events in history. Just the fact that it features bouts in MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai and submission grappling makes ONE X a significant cultural event in modern history.

Quick Links