Yuri Simoes thinks he has better BJJ skills than two-division champion Reinier de Ridder

Yuri Simoes doesn't have much experience in MMA, but the middleweight believes his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills could make him a threat to anyone in the division.

The 31-year-old martial artist even suggests that his grappling expertise is far superior when compared to two-division king Reinier 'The Dutch Knight' de Ridder.

Ahead of his clash against Russian debutant Daniyal Zanialov at ONE: Full Circle this Friday, February 25, Simoes told ONE:

“I think he's a very good grappler. I mean, his record shows that you know, he's no joke on the ground. I think I'm a way better grappler than he is. I'm pretty sure that he knows that too.”

Yuri Simoes’ last words aimed at De Ridder speak to just how confident he is in his abilities on the ground. The two-time ADCC world champion would love to test himself against the undefeated titleholder if he picks up a couple more wins in the 93kg division.

'The Dutch Knight' has proven to be an absolute nightmare for past opponents to deal with on the canvas, and his BJJ is one of the reasons he has a perfect 14-0 record.

De Ridder returns to action in the main event of ONE: Full Circle against Kiamrian Abbasov. The Breda native will defend the middleweight title for the first time against the welterweight king, who is looking to become a two-division world champion himself.

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Yuri Simoes believes de Ridder will leave the Circle with a successful title defense

Though Yuri Simoes thinks he can oust de Ridder in the grappling department, he believes the Dutch fighter is well-equipped to see off Abbasov at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The Brazilian fighter offered:

“I think, you know, he's doing a phenomenal job representing jiu jitsu and he's doing great. His technique is solid. I think he's going to win that fight, this fight coming up. I would be a lot more sure of his victory. I think he's got it.”

On paper, however, there isn't much separating the two world champions. De Ridder’s striking, ground game, and fight IQ are almost identical to Abbasov’s arsenal.

Both stars have made their presence known on the global stage, and fans watching can expect nothing but fireworks when they clash this Friday, February 25.