“There's no other guy like me” - Reinier de Ridder believes Anatoly Malykhin has had difficulty training for him

Reinier de Ridder believes his ONE on Prime Video 5 opponent Anatoly Malykhin likely had difficulty preparing for an opponent his size and with such a unique style inside the circle.

The two warriors will square off in the headlining bout this Friday night as ONE Championship returns to the Mall of Asia Arena in Mania for a stacked lineup featuring two world title fights, including the champion vs. champion showcase.

Malykhin, the reigning ONE interim heavyweight world champion will challenge ‘The Dutch Knight’ for his light heavyweight crown.

Speaking with The MMA Superfan ahead of their highly-anticipated clash, Reinier de Ridder shared his thoughts on the challenges Malykhin may have faced during training camp for the impending clash:

“He's fought taller opponents, of course, he always fights taller opponents because he's short and stubby. But the last time he fought a southpaw was way back then. And my style is just difficult to prepare for because there's no other guy like me."

‘The Dutch Knight’ has established himself as something of a destroyer of champions, having bested former two-division titleholder Aung La N Sang in back-to-back bouts before dispatching then-welterweight world champion Kiamrian Abbasov and former middleweight king Vitaly Bigdash. De Ridder’s next task will be to take out undefeated heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Watch the full interview below:

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Reinier de Ridder believes there are multiple reasons for his incredible success in ONE Championship

This January, Reinier de Ridder will celebrate his fourth anniversary with ONE Championship. In that time, he has gone 7-0 inside the circle, improving his overall record to an incredible 16-0. During that four-year span, he has scored wins over some of the biggest names in ONE history, capturing not one, but two ONE world championships in the process.

Asked by The MMA Superfan what makes him so successful, ‘The Dutch Knight’ believes it’s not just one thing, but multiple things that make him one of the best mixed martial artists in the world today:

"That's a good question. I've been wondering about this myself. I've learned this myself, every once in a while, but I think it's everything together. It's not just one thing, but everything I do. I prepare mentally and physically. I have the best guys around me. I train hard year-round. I never take a day off. I guess all of the above."

Reinier de Ridder will attempt to keep his spotless record intact this Friday night against another undefeated foe in Anatoly Malykhin. Fans in North America can watch live and for free on Amazon Prime Video with an active subscription.