Fighting under the banner of Ultimate Fighting Championship is what every single mixed martial artist aspires to do from the very beginning of their career. Needless to say, stepping into the Octagon comes with great fame and a great opportunity to put one’s name out on the map. And the journey at Dana White’s promotion often begins with a fight in the Apex. Even the former ONE double division champion, Reinier de Ridder has a similar beginning to his UFC career. 

The ONE champ-champ will make his debut against Gerald Meerschaert, in a middleweight bout on the 9th of November 2024 at the UFC Apex. Ridder had a pretty successful career at ONE Championship, where he even went to the very top of two divisions. But why did he decide to move to the UFC? Let me tell you, it’s not a matter of money. Instead, the pointers aim at the magnetic pull of the promotion.

Reinier de Ridder reveals why he got reeled in by Dana White and the UFC

In a conversation with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, de Ridder was asked if he had already planned to fight in the Octagon from the very beginning. While the MMA promotion has several controversies revolving around it, the low fighter pay is what gets the most attention. But that didn’t stop de Ridder from signing with the UFC. He said, “I’ve always like, taken it like, one step at a time and, but UFC has always been in the back of my mind. Like every fighter, I’m not that special in this regard. It’s always like that. They can offer you twice the money somewhere else, but everyone still wants to come to the UFC, right? We’re all just dummies, to be honest.” 

After losing to Anatoly Malykhin and announcing his retirement at ONE 166, ‘The Dutch Knight’ sought out a fight at UAE Warriors 51 against Magomedmural Khasaev. He won the bout within the first round via punches and took up the fight against Meerschaert. The former ONE light heavyweight and middleweight champion continued, “But yeah, so, the plan was to get a fight there at UAE, get it done quick, as it worked out thankfully, then get the ball rolling and sign with UFC. And I’m very happy that this fight got offered to me right away.”

With his eyes already on the Octagon, Ridder said yes to a fight as soon as Dana White and Co. offered him one, following his UAE Warriors win. No doubt, de Ridder plans to demonstrate his impressive fighting skills against Meerschaert, and finish the bout. But he is indeed wary of his opponent’s strengths. 

Like mentioned earlier, de Ridder has already fought in two divisions at ONE Championship. This has raised a question in the MMA realm. Will he fight in Alex Pereira’s division in the UFC? Let’s hear the answer directly from the new UFC signee.

Will ‘The Dutch Knight’ fight in the light heavyweight division?

Continuing with the interview, de Ridder revealed that the 185-pound category was where he could show his true strengths. He said, “I’m basically like 210 walking around eating my normal diet and training normally. It would be a very small cut to go to light heavyweight. To go to middleweight is a harder cut, but if I diet for a couple of weeks and do a good weight cut, it will be doable. Middleweight it is. Maybe down the line some light heavyweight action, as well. We’ll see how it all goes.”

He is all set to earn a shot at the championship title. The former ONE champion exuded nothing but confidence as he fixed his eyes on the MW gold. Be it Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland, or Israel Adesanya, ‘The Dutch Knight’ was absolutely ready. He named a few other middleweight prospects that he wanted to go up against. But first, he needs to come out victorious at UFC Apex. 

With an impressive MMA career of 17 victories and just 2 losses, the Kiwi fighter is destined to raise the entropy of the fighting community by a few notches. But he can’t underestimate Meerschaert at all. With about 37 wins and 17 defeats in his MMA career, Gerald Meerschaert will do his best to take de Ridder down. And it will all come down to who finishes his opponent first.

What are your thoughts on de Ridder’s statement about fighters aspiring to enter the Octagon regardless of low pay? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.