"I took him down so easily" - Andre Galvao believes he can defeat Reinier de Ridder in MMA after their submission grappling draw

Andre Galvao has seen a glimpse of what Reinier de Ridder can do, and believes that he will be the first man to put a blemish on the two-division world champion’s undefeated MMA record.

Galvao and de Ridder figured in a submission grappling bout at ONE X, ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary showcase. After 12 minutes of action, the match was declared a draw after neither man was able to submit the other.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the BJJ legend said that after experiencing a battle with ‘The Dutch Knight’ first-hand, he thinks that a mixed martial arts bout would have a clear victor between them.

Andre Galvao said:

“I think, of course, like in a stand-up game, [he probably] has a little bit more experience than me. But I will do my best to put his back on the floor. And I know that would be hard because he will try to just stand up the whole time, keeping me near the cage, and all that. But I think I will do really well because, from the grappling match that I had with him, I took him down so easily.”

Through 15 professional MMA bouts, no one has seemed to figure out how to defeat Reinier de Ridder. However, Galvao can already visualize how their bout will end.

“Also, the grappling game with strikes, it’s completely different. I think if I’m on top of him, I could throw some punches and strike him, and I could get more opportunities to open up for the submission, and then end up submitting him,” he said.

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Reinier de Ridder looks to extend his win streak at ONE 159

Reinier de Ridder doesn’t believe that Andre Galvao is the man who could beat him, and neither is his next challenger, Vitaly Bigdash.

'The Dutch Knight' is set to defend the ONE middleweight world title against the hulking Russian in the main event of ONE 159 on July 22. Bigdash earned his spot against de Ridder after winning his trilogy bout with Aung La N Sang earlier this year.

Meanwhile, de Ridder is hungry for another win following his submission grappling draw with Galvao at ONE X. He is returning to the sport where he reigns as a two-division world champion and will look to add win number 16 to his immaculate professional MMA record.