ONE Championship superstar Reinier de Ridder suffered the only loss of his professional MMA career in 2022, and he wants to redeem himself when he returns to the all-encompassing sport to take on the man who defeated him next month.
On Friday, March 1, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will defend the ONE Middleweight MMA World Championship against two-division king Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 166: Qatar. The event will be ONE’s debut live show in the Middle East, and it will be broadcast live and for free via Prime Video in North America.
Reinier de Ridder’s reflection on his defeat against Anatoly Malykhin
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De Ridder and Malykhin were undefeated going into their first encounter at ONE on Prime Video 5 in December 2022. So, naturally, they were both confident in putting an “L” on the other’s record. In the end, though, it was ‘Sladkiy’ who walked away with his slate still perfect. The hulking Russian finished De Ridder in the opening round, and he took the light heavyweight MMA crown from him in the process.
Speaking to Sherdog.com, the Combat Brothers representative revealed that the devastating defeat was a reality check. “It took me a little while to get over [the loss to Anatoly Malykhin], especially with the way it happened. It’s not like I lost a close decision or whatever. I got knocked out brutally,” De Ridder said. “I thought I could take anybody down and choke anybody out in the world, but it wasn’t like that this time. I’ve tried to grow, and hopefully, I can show this March 1.”
De Ridder got caught early in the World Title tilt and couldn’t get an offense going as a result. Malykhin rose in response and shut down any opportunity for a takedown with explosive punches. When asked if he thought things would have played out differently if he survived the first round, the Dutchman admitted that he dwelled on that thought for a long time following the bout but ultimately decided to forget it and move on.
He further added “That was something that I was thinking about the first few months after the fight. If only I could’ve survived a minute more. I’ve tried to let that thing go because it is what it is. I have to deal with what happened and grow from what I learned in the fight.”
De Ridder will be going for the win at Qatar
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As he prepares for his rematch with Malykhin, De Ridder still believes he is a better fighter than the Russian powerhouse, who became a two-division king after beating “The Dutch Knight” by claiming the heavyweight MMA crown against Arjan Bhullar the following June.
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The Breda native has faith in the well-rounded skillset that led him to seven MMA wins in a row in ONE Championship, and he wants to showcase it to the world in Qatar. “The balance has to be right, and in MMA, you can go too far to one or the other pretty easily,” De Ridder said. “I’m still supremely confident in my skills. I know that I’m better than this guy. I just have to show it.” De Ridder added.
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Do you expect to witness a masterclass comeback from the Dutch fighter or will it be another win for Malykhin? Tell us about your opinion in the comments below.
