ONE Championship’s middleweight king, Reinier De Ridder, did not close out 2022 as he had hoped. The former two-division king was defeated by ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin by first-round TKO in their December meeting on Prime Video. But “The Dutch Knight” is taking the loss in stride.
“S*** happens, man. I’ve never lost a fight before. I’ve never really been hurt in training. It was tough, but I was always prepared for this. I know that if you stick around long enough, if you look for the largest challenges – which I do – s*** happens,” De Ridder told ONE.
While the loss could send others into a tailspin, De Ridder is remotivated ahead of his 2023 return at ONE Fight Night 10 against Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling superfight. The 32-year-old is focusing on making redemption a theme in the new year. And the U.S. debut of ONE will just be the start of what’s to come.
“[Getting back to winning ways] is the most important thing. I got redemption on my mind. I’m fully focused on setting things straight. This is my year, man. I’m setting everything straight. I’m starting with a grappling match and some MMA fights to cap it off.”
The match came about after Ruotolo called out the ONE Middleweight World Champion. It was not a random bid by the dazzling 20-year-old. De Ridder had already squared off with his mentor and BJJ legend, Andre Galvao, at ONE X.
Galvao was unable to defeat De Ridder within the time limit, and the bout was determined a draw. Now, “The Dutch Knight” has his chance to compete against another Atos BJJ superstar. On such a massive event, De Ridder hopes to send shockwaves through the grappling community and show his brand of exciting groundwork that has led him to the top of the mixed martial arts world.
“I expected something like that. It’s very cool that I got a shot at this. I got to grapple Andre Galvao, and I get to grapple Tye Ruotolo, who’s one of the hottest prospects right now in grappling. I’m not even a grappler. I’m an MMA fighter, so it’s very cool that I get this opportunity,” said the 32-year-old.
Fans should not expect much stalling. ONE’s submission grappling rule set emphasizes attacking submissions, and both De Ridder and Ruotolo are known for doing just that. With aggression on his mind, De Ridder is hoping his size will come into play against the more detail-oriented ground specialist.
“It’s going to be a very dynamic and a very explosive match. Ten minutes seems like it’s a long time, but for a grappling match, it’s kind of short. The plan is to submit him. So I’m going to be chasing him from the get-go. I have the physical advantage. I am heavier and longer. He might have a bit of technical advantage because he’s a pure grappler. I think it’s going to be a very exciting match,” said De Ridder.
ONE Fight Night 10 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, May 5, at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free to all Amazon Prime members in the U.S. and Canada. Limited tickets are still available via Axs.com.
