"I'll have to lose a leg" - Moving down to welterweight is not an option for Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder is set to defend his ONE middleweight world title against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: Full Circle on Friday night.

After winning both the middleweight and light heavyweight world titles from Aung La N Sang in the last two years, 'The Dutch Knight' wants to add a third world title to his collection. However, moving down to Abbasov’s weight division is out of the question for him.

During the ceremonial weigh-ins for ONE: Full Circle, the 31-year-old was asked if he would be interested in fighting Abbasov for the welterweight crown. He answered:

“Going down is not an option right now. I’ll have to lose a leg to make his weight, but let’s focus on this one first. It’s an interesting task at hand. I’m ready to show my skills and I’m ready to explode tomorrow night.”

Reinier de Ridder has been pushing for a fight against ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar for a chance to become the promotion’s first three-division world champion. That has not materialized so the Dutchman has instead chosen to defend his world title to stay active in the Circle.

On Friday, he needs to take care of business with Abbasov so that he will still have two world titles in his possession when he moves up to heavyweight.

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Kiamrian Abbasov is determined to take Reinier de Ridder’s crown

During their face-to-face meeting at the ceremonial weigh-ins, Kiamrian Abbasov hilariously sized up Reinier de Ridder.

The middleweight champion certainly has the size and height advantage in their matchup. ‘The Dutch Knight’ has even previously claimed that Abbasov may need a stool to hit his face. When asked if he was worried about the size discrepancy, the challenger confidently answered:

“It won’t matter at all. I’m here to take a second belt. I’m here, and this is my home.”

Abbasov’s martial arts foundations are grounded in wrestling and if he can impose his will on the match, their height difference won’t matter on the ground. However, Reinier de Ridder is also supremely confident in his ground game, which could be a challenge for Abbasov.

With both men possessing incredible striking power and technical prowess on the ground, fans will be treated to a masterclass no matter where this fight takes place.