The Ultimate Fighting Championship has made a valuable addition to its middleweight division. The Dana White-led promotion has signed Reinier de Ridder and has made him a part of their solid middleweight division. The former ONE Championship fighter is one of the most exciting talents to watch. One who is capable of being ruthless inside the Octagon.

Rest assured, MMA fans are excited to see such a talent being a part of their favorite promotion. As a result, it was only natural for the press to ask the UFC CEO about their new signing at the post-event press conference of the Dana White contender series. Nevertheless, White made it seem like he isn’t a big fight of the signing. In fact, he might’ve stayed out of the whole process altogether.

When asked by a reporter to share his thoughts on the new middleweight, why he decided to sign the Dutchman, and what expectations White had for him, the UFC CEO simply shrugged off the question by stating that he was not aware of the situation. White said, “Sh*t, I don’t know about that. You’d have to ask Sean or Mick about that.”

Well, it is surely a first for UFC fans. They know that White is a hands-on CEO who likes to be aware of every process going on in his promotion. So, to be unaware of such a major signing makes it look like it was a decision that White either wasn’t a big fan of, or he simply didn’t care.

Since White did not provide much detail about the signing, the debut date of the 34-year-old remains a mystery. While he earlier stated he wished to fight the likes of Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya, and Jiri Prochazka, some names that have been speculated as his future opponents are those of Marvin Vettori, Derek Brunson, and Jack Hermansson.

With a record of 0-0 in the UFC, it would take Ridder some time before he can get anywhere close to the title picture or be one-on-one against top contenders. But for the ones who know his capabilities, they’re aware that a title fight won’t be that distant in the future. As for those who don’t know him that well, here’s a brief on the new signing.

Reinier de Ridder- the new fighter on the bloc!

Reinier de Ridder (17-2), was once considered one of the best middleweights on the planet. He parted ways with ONE Championship back in July. The 34-year-old Dutchman then signed a contract with UAE Warriors for a fight against Magomed Khasaev- a match that he won just two minutes into the very first round via TKO.

De Ridder arrived at ONE in January 2019 and, after just two years, was crowned 185 and 205-pound champion by beating Aung La Nsang twice in six months. ‘The Dutch Knight’ would be left empty-handed when he received the same treatment from heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin. First, he lost the light heavyweight belt—and his undefeated record as a professional—when he was knocked out at the ONE on Prime Video 5. He then said goodbye to the 185-pound crown in the main event of ONE 166 held on March 4.

So what do you think of the new signing? Are you excited to see him fight? Let us know in the comments.