“It’s about redemption” – Reinier de Ridder thrilled for opportunity to avenge lone loss of his career against Anatoly Malykhin

Former two-division ONE world champion ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder was hit with a massive slice of humble pie over the last 12 months or so.

The 33-year-old Dutchman was on top of the world when he ran into Russian mauler Anatoly Malykhin in December of 2022. At the time, De Ridder was the proud owner of the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight MMA world titles.

Unfortunately for ‘The Dutch Knight’, Malykhin proved much too powerful at ONE on Prime Video 5, as ‘Sladkiy’ stopped de Ridder in the first round to take his middleweight gold.

To make matters worse, de Ridder was completely outclassed by American BJJ phenom Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling match just months later.

Talk about having to swallow a whole lot of your pride. Still, De Ridder believes he has learned the necessary lessons from that experience and is now ready to move on.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, de Ridder talked about his upcoming rematch with Malykhin.

‘The Dutch Knight’ stated:

“I’m very happy that it’s Malykhin again. Very happy that it’s a chance to redeem myself, which is the most important thing. It’s about me getting back on this last fight. It’s about me redeeming myself. It’s about redemption.”

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Reinier de Ridder defends middleweight MMA belt against tormentor Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 166: Qatar

Former two-division king ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder will be defending his last piece of gold when he steps into the ring with ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight MMA world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

The two lock horns in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail on Friday, March 1.

De Ridder will need to do everything in his power to prevent Malykhin from taking his final piece of ONE gold. Meanwhile, Malykhin is looking to make history as an unprecedented simultaneous three-division MMA world champion, the first to do so, ever.

ONE 166: Qatar airs live on March 1 via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com. Please visit ONE Championship’s official website for more information on how to watch from your location. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.