Did Leandro Ataides provide the blueprint to beating Reinier de Ridder?

Reinier de Ridder has been a dominant force in mixed martial arts since his pro debut in 2013. Currently riding an undefeated record of 15-0, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is the holder of both the ONE middleweight world championship and the light heavyweight world championship. On July 23rd, he will put the former on the line against Russian challenger Vitaly Bigash in the ONE 159 main event.

So far, nobody has been able to best the Dutchman in mixed martial arts. Through 15 fights, de Ridder has an astonishing 10 wins by way of submission. None of his opponents have thus far had an answer to his incredible grappling skills; however, one fighter may have hinted at a potential blueprint for besting the two-division world champion.

While no man has been able to defeat de Ridder, Leandro Ataides was the man to give ‘The Dutch Knight’ the most trouble in the circle. The two squared off at ONE: Warrior’s Code in what was de Ridder’s third outing under the ONE Championship banner. Unlike many of the Dutch fighter's opponents, ‘Wolf’ was able to take Reinier de Ridder the distance in their February 2020 contest.

de Ridder himself stated after the fight that Ataides was his “trickiest opponent” and expressed an interest in a rematch to prove his dominance in the Circle.

Of course, that rematch never happened, as de Ridder moved on to face then-champion Aung La N Sang for the middleweight world championship eight months later.

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Leandro Ataides took Reinier de Ridder to the limit in their 2020 meeting

In their 2020 meeting, Leandro Ataides exploited the biggest, and arguably only, gap in Reinier de Ridder’s game: striking. Though ‘The Dutch Knight’ has made some improvements in his stand-up, others can look back and find a potential blueprint for beating the two-division king.

In their contest, Ataides spent a large chunk of it headhunting and looking for a big knockout blow. The constant pressure forced de Ridder to move backwards, thus eliminating the threat of a potential takedown for Ataides. It was clear that ‘Wolf’ had the advantage in striking.

Unfortunately for Ataides, de Ridder was able to turn the tables as ‘Wolf’ slowed down. Ataides was able to defend takedown attempts and, at one point, had de Ridder’s back, but as ‘The Dutch Knight’ got back to his feet, Ataides became careless, likely knowing his tank was running on empty.

Ataides gave De Ridder everything he could handle on the feet—keeping the big man moving backwards was key to Ataides' success. If Vitaly Bigdash can pressure the champion with his heavy hands and keep De Ridder off balance, it will open opportunities to land strikes and potential takedowns of his own.

It’s just a matter of who’s cardio holds up as the fight goes on.