What's next for Reinier de Ridder after ONE 159?

Two-division ONE world champion Reinier de Ridder turned in arguably his most impressive performance to date last Friday, putting top contender Vitaly Bigdash to sleep with a slick inverted triangle submission in the first round of their main event battle at ONE 159.

The win allowed ‘The Dutch Knight’ to retain his ONE middleweight world title. Immediately after the fight concluded, the 31-year-old from Breda, Netherlands, shifted his focus to a goal he has wanted to accomplish since becoming a double champ with the organization. That’s to go for a historic third world title.

The future looks bright for de Ridder. If you’re wondering where he goes from here, let’s take a closer look at his options.

#3. More middleweight dominance

Reinier de Ridder has effectively cleared out ONE Championship’s middleweight division with his one-round destruction of Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159.

A trilogy with Aung La N Sang is certainly a viable option. However, ‘The Burmese Python’ appears to have his sights set on a super-fight against Japanese legend Yushin Okami. It’s plausible to think that the winner of that matchup could earn a date with de Ridder, and you know Aung La remains confident he can beat ‘The Dutch Knight’ should he get him in the circle again.

Another option for de Ridder is former opponent Leandro Ataides. Ataides is only one of two men whom de Ridder hasn’t finished in his career. The hulking Brazilian gave the 31-year-old all that he could handle in a February 2020 bout, which saw Ataides even take de Ridder’s back at one point.

De Ridder has expressed his intent at giving Ataides another shot, so it could very well happen next for ‘The Dutch Knight'.

#2. More submission grappling for Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder has already faced a grappling legend in Andre Galvao. With his latest display of technical mastery on the ground, he could once again test his skills against another legend.

Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida is a legend in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, having held countless world titles in the sport. Last year, he transitioned to MMA and has since racked up three straight victories in the circle.

While his focus is on gaining experience in MMA right now, ‘Buchecha’ has not closed the door on a return to grappling, especially if a world title is to be introduced for the sport in ONE Championship.

With Mikey Musumeci revealing that he will be competing for a submission grappling world title later this year, ‘Buchecha’ might also want to throw his name into the mix.

A grappling bout between the two highly-skilled ground maestros should be another interesting clash of styles.

#1. The ONE heavyweight world title

By now, it’s no secret what Reinier de Ridder wants, and that’s the heavyweight belt.

As a two-division world champion, de Ridder has already proven that he is one of the top pound-for-pound athletes in ONE Championship. Claiming a world title in a third division will easily make him the undisputed king.

However, the top dog in the heavyweight division is yet to be decided with the return of Arjan Bhullar. The Indian-Canadian giant revealed that he is set to face ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin on a future ONE on Prime Video card to unify their world titles.

Reinier de Ridder could wait to challenge the winner of that match, but doing so might mean that he will next compete in the circle either late this year or in 2023, depending on when Bhullar and Malykhin will fight.

‘The Dutch Knight’ has expressed his desire to stay active this year, but it’s likely that he will be patient if it means that his next bout will be for the undisputed ONE heavyweight world championship.