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Despite being a double champion in ONE Championship, Reinier de Ridder believes that he still has a lot to improve on.
At ONE on Prime Video 5, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will put his undefeated record and light heavyweight world championship on the line against a fellow undefeated world champion, Anatoly Malykhin.
De Ridder’s run in ONE Championship has been defined by the Dutchman’s elite grappling. In 2022 alone, the two-division world champion has defended his middleweight crown twice, with both ending in submissions. He also competed in a submission grappling match against Andre Galvao.
In an interview with Morning Kombat, the champion spoke about improving his striking by training every day and trying to get it to the same levels as his grappling:
“I think it’s there. I believe it’s there. I know it’s there. I’m Dutch for a reason. You know I work on my kickboxing skills on a daily basis.”
Watch the full interview below:
Some of the best kickboxers in the world hail or train in the Netherlands, and De Ridder believes elite-level striking runs in his blood.
On December 2, his Dutch striking will be put to the test against Malykhin. A devastating striker himself, the Russian has gone 3-0 inside the circle with three consecutive knockouts.
Whilst the story of the match-up will be the defending champion's grappling skills versus the brute power of the heavyweight, Reinier de Ridder will also be hoping to showcase his improvements.
The two undefeated world champions will meet in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5 when ONE Championship returns to Manila. The card boasts an impressive four world championship matches, each one under a different ruleset.
“Full circle” - Reinier de Ridder on headlining ONE on Prime Video 5 in Manila
Undefeated ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Reinier de Ridder will defend his light heavyweight world title for the first time at ONE on Prime Video 5. In a moment of coincidence, this will see the champ's return to the location of his very first fight inside the circle - Manila in the Philippines.
Since signing with the promotion in 2019, ‘The Dutch Knight’ has put together one of the best runs the promotion has ever seen. Going 7-0 under the ONE Championship banner, De Ridder has produced five finishes and won two world championships.
Having already defeated the likes of Vitaly Bigdash, Kiamrian Abbasov and Aung La N Sang twice, De Ridder will now face a fellow undefeated world champion in his next fight.
In his return to the place where it all started, Reinier de Ridder will defend his world title against the ONE interim heavyweight world champion, Anatoly Malykhin.
In an interview with SCMP MMA, the Dutchman had this to say about fighting in Manila:
"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."
Watch the full interview below:
