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Reinier de Ridder is currently a two-division titleholder in ONE Championship and is keen to add another belt to his waist by moving up to heavyweight soon. The plan by 'The Dutch Knight' will commence should he beat Kiamran Abbasov on February 25 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
De Ridder's intentions are no secret as he was already targeting battling reigning heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar during an interview with ONE Championship.
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Since then, there have been some changes in the heavyweight division. An interim title will be on the line after Bhullar had a setback negotiating with ONE Championship for his next fight.
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Nonetheless, De Ridder will be waiting for things to settle down as he focuses on defending the middleweight title.
"I’m not sure what the situation is with Bhullar right now because they set up this interim thing because he doesn’t want to fight at all apparently," said De Ridder in an interview with South China Morning Post. "I don’t know but let us take Abbasov down first and then we’ll look at the heavyweight as well."
Due to Bhullar's negotiation disputes, Asia's premier MMA promotion has setup a interim title match between Anatoly Malykhin and Kirill Grishenko. Unfortunately, that match didn't push through for the Only the Brave fight card after Malykhin had tested positive for COVID-19.
Even with this development, De Ridder is willing to wait it out for whoever comes out. The double champion promises to be ready when he gets the call.
"Anybody. Anytime. Anywhere," said De Ridder. "I’m really reaching new heights and it doesn’t matter who it is anymore. I think I can finish anybody in the world. Just give me a shot. Just give me a chance."
WATCH: Reinier de Ridder's interview with South China Morning Post
Reinier de Ridder eager to showcase his improved version in his next ONE Championship bout
The last time Reinier de Ridder fought was when he took his second title from Aung La Nsang back in April 2021. Since then, 'The Dutch Knight' has been sharpening his MMA skills and can't wait to let the world see his improvements.
"I’m on top of my game. I’m fitter and stronger, better than ever, I just want to showcase. I want to be active. I want the best guys ahead of me or in front of me. It’s been pretty frustrating to watch from the sideline."
De Ridder holds an undefeated record of 14-0 and nine of those wins came from submissions. He is currently 5-0 in ONE Championship.
It will be interesting to see how he does against Abbasov, especially since this is going to be his first defense of the middleweight title.
