“I’m better than this guy” – Reinier de Ridder out to prove why he’s a cut above Anatoly Malykhin in Qatar at ONE 166

With less than a week before he faces his former tormentor, Anatoly Malykhin, in the main event of ONE 166 on March 1, Reinier de Ridder is eager to prove that he is better than him.

The reigning ONE middleweight MMA world champion is confident that he could even his head-to-head score with Malykhin in their upcoming rematch and prevent him from claiming the ground-breaking three-division world title status when their fight unfolds inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

In his recent interview with Sherdog, Reinier de Ridder wants to showcase his full fighting arsenal and silence his doubters by displaying them on fight night.

‘The ‘Dutch Knight’ proclaimed:

“I’m still supremely confident in my skills. I know that I’m better than this guy. I just have to show it.”

The 33-year-old athlete out of the Netherlands previously suffered a brutal knockout loss to the Russian mauler in December 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 5, which saw him yield his ONE light heavyweight MMA world title.

Since that fight, he received another defeat at the hands of Tye Ruotolo during their middleweight submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023, which is why he wants a bounce-back victory to break his two-fight skid.

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Reinier de Ridder has fortified his mental preparation ahead of Malykhin rematch

One of the biggest aspects that de Ridder has improved for this second meeting with Malykhin was his mental game, as he made the necessary adjustments to his approach and fight plan to get one back.

Additionally, he wants to showcase his own power in the match by fighting fire against fire with Malykhin, just like what he showed during his TKO victory over Gilberto Galvao in June 2019.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 166: Qatar card live and for free.