“You Can Develop Technically” – Reinier De Ridder Reveals His ‘Theory on Getting Better in MMA’ With a Gegard Mousasi-Reference

The Netherlands has a history of producing great kickboxers. After already covering one area of the sport over the years, the fight fans have seen many Dutch kickboxers successfully transition into MMA. Two-division ONE World Champion Reinier de Ridder is a great example of the same.

Recently, in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports’ Arunaditya Aima, ‘The Dutch Knight’ revealed what makes him a standout among the pack.

He said, “This is my theory on getting better in MMA and maybe in all sports. I think you should train with guys that are of your level or better; 20, maybe 30 percent of the time, not too often.”

Also Read – Reinier De Ridder Reveals One Surprising Aspect About Andre Galvao Submission Grappling Match – “I Really Didn’t Expect Him to…”

“I think you should train with guys who are a little less, a little below you, most of the time 70 or 80% of the time. So you can try out new stuff. So you can develop technically; you can work on whatever.”

‘The Dutch Knight’ has a world-class training partner in another World Champion, Gegard Mousasi. ‘The Dream Catcher’, who has competed around the world, is a veteran of the sport who is still going strong in MMA.

The middleweight and light heavyweight champion emphasized, “You need those rounds like I get here or like I get with Gegard… You need that ‘iron sharpens iron’ sometimes; that Lions fighting each other. But not too often because you are going to get hurt.” 

Thus, the dual ONE World Champion offered that a balance is required for fighters to grow their skill sets.

Reinier de Ridder believes he’s the best in the world

The undefeated 31-year-old fighter has stacked an impressive 15-0 record in MMA. This brings him into a conversation about the best fighters on the planet, regardless of the promotion.

When asked where he stands among the other World Champions in different mixed martial arts promotions, he asserted, “best one.”

The double champion in the Home of Martial Arts has the stats to back his claims, as he has already made a tremendous impact in just six fights.

Also Read – “I Have Never Been Impressed With Bhullar” – Reinier De Ridder Eyes Third ONE World Title Against ‘Not That Spectacular’ Heavyweight Champion

What do you make of Reinier de Ridder’s ‘theory’? Share your thoughts in the comments section.