In the tight race to see which top contender will earn the next middleweight title shot, former ONE Championship double belt-holder Reinier de Ridder is aiming to make himself the next undeniable man in line.
Reinier de Ridder Proven to be Force at 185 in UFC
Stepping into his second straight UFC main event, Reinier de Ridder takes his talent to Vancouver for this week’s UFC Fight Night. Standing opposite of him in the Octagon will be middleweight luminary Brendan Allen, who is riding a superb win over Marvin Vettori.
Rising to prominence on the world stage during his days in ONE, Reinier de Ridder quickly soared his way up the rankings, scoring their middleweight strap in just his fourth bout in the company. He then went on to achieve further greatness by toppling Aung La N Sang to attain the light heavyweight throne as well to become the third two-weight class champion in ONE history.
Joining the UFC in late 2024, Reinier de Ridder has almost immediately cemented his place as one of the middleweight division’s best competitors, rattling off four consecutive victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal and most recently Robert Whittaker. His triumph over the previous 185-lb gold standard elevated “The Dutch Knight” into the top four of his weight class, just a stone’s throw away from challenging current apex Khamzat Chimaev.
Reinier de Ridder Can Earn Title Opportunity, Isn’t Alone in Conversation
Picking up a close but amazing unanimous decision over the aforementioned Whittaker back in July, Reinier de Ridder inched himself ever closer to the head of the pack in his weight category. However, as the summer progressed, several other notable names began to emerge as likely options to battle the dominant Chechen.
Following a first-round knockout to Kevin Holland more than five years ago, Anthony Hernandez has recorded one of the greatest win streaks at middleweight at eight in a row with six stoppages. Originally meant to throw down with de Ridder this weekend in Canada, “Fluffy” because of injury.
Dropping a unanimous decision to future middleweight champion Sean Strickland in 2023, Nassourdine Imavov has embarked on a warpath through some of the division’s finest. Stacking up five victories over a murders row of combatants like Jared Cannonier, Caio Borralho and Israel Adesanya.
With the championship picture becoming more and more competitive, Reinier de Ridder will need to make a statement in his upcoming match with Allen. Now that the coveted UFC belt is almost within his reach, the Dutch star can solidify his place in the annals of the sport should he manage to hoist organizational gold above his head.
