“Another champ on the hit list” - Reinier de Ridder excited for clash with Anatoly Malykhin

After teasing his return on social media, double champion Reinier de Ridder has got his next fight booked. At ONE on Prime Video 5, de Ridder will defend his light heavyweight world championship against undefeated interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

This will be the Dutchman's first defense of his light heavyweight crown since winning it in 2021, when he defeated Aung La N Sang for the second time. In the meantime, he has notched two title defenses at middleweight.

Whilst the future of the heavyweight world championship remains muddy, the interim champion will move down to try and add a second belt to his shoulder instead. Malykhin has gone 3-0 inside the circle since signing in 2021, producing three knockouts.

Despite the dangers of facing a much larger man moving down a weight class, Reinier de Ridder spoke about how excited he is for the challenge in a recent interview with SCMP MMA:

“Very good, man. Life is very good. Life here back home is good. Kids are doing well, growing hard. My girl is in school now. My boy is getting big and strong. The businesses are doing well, and I’m in great shape. I’m really seeing progress in all my game. Another great opportunity to face a worthy challenger. Another champ on the hit list. I can’t complain.”

Watch the full interview below:

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“I run through champions” - Reinier de Ridder confident he will beat Anatoly Malykhin in December

‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder exploded onto the world stage by defeating elite level opposition. On his return at ONE on Prime Video 5, the double champion will look to add the name of another world champion to his impressive win streak when he takes on Anatoly Malykhin.

After growing tired of waiting for heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar, Malykhin will go elsewhere for another belt and try to follow in de Ridder’s footsteps by collecting a second piece of gold.

'The Dutch Knight' shared the news of the champion vs. champion matchup on Instagram, sending a message to Malykhin in the process:

“I run through champions. Watch me close out the year big! 👑"

On December 2, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will return to Manila, where he made his debut with ONE Championship. It’ll be his first defense of his lightweight belt after successfully defending the middleweight crown on two occasions since winning both belts by defeating Aung La N Sang in back-to-back fights.

Watch de Ridder's rise below: