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Unbeaten ONE double-champ Reinier de Ridder is preparing for his first light heavyweight title defense at ONE on Prime Video 5. The Dutch star is returning to the setting of his very first fight inside the circle - Manila, Philippines.
'The Dutch Knight' is a perfect 7-0 since signing with the promotion back in 2019, defeating the likes of Vitaly Bigdash, Aung La N Sang (x2), and Kiamrian Abbasov. He now welcomes incoming challenger and fellow unbeaten competitor Anatoly Malykhin.
The two will headline ONE on Prime Video 5, live from Manila. De Ridder spoke with SCMP MMA about returning to the set of his ONE debut and said:
"It’s a bit of a full circle thing because my first fight for ONE was in Manila, so it will be very cool to go back there."
Few fighters have experienced a stretch as successful as the one De Ridder is currently in the midst of—five submissions in seven ONE appearances—and two world championships.
Reinier de Ridder details Anatoly Malykhin's wrestling
The 32-year-old two-division champion has inflicted his grappling prowess upon every opponent he has faced since joining ONE. He will now face a very willing grappler in Malykhin. To that point, De Ridder told SCMP MMA:
"His wrestling is very strong. Pretty basic, and shoots heavy doubles. We haven’t really seen him getting backed up, recently. He mostly comes forward. I think this is where the fight will happen. Me pressing him down, me stalking him, and then finally me taking him down and putting him on his back."
De Ridder clearly expects to meet Malykhin in the middle of the circle, where he believes he will have an advantage. His opponent enters the title fight having finished all three of his fights inside the circle, speaking to his aggressive fighting style.
With bonafide finishers set to face off, expect this fight to end before the final bell.
Make sure to tune in to ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2 to watch Reinier de Ridder attempt to defend his light heavyweight world title against unbeaten challenger Anatoly Malykhin, live from Manila, Philippines.
Check out Reinier de Ridder's full interview with SCMP MMA below:
