"That guy is the easiest fight for me" - Reinier De Ridder says he can beat Israel Adesanya

Current ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Reinier De Ridder believes he has the skills to beat UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

A dual champion with an undefeated record of 15-0, De Ridder has been training with Bellator MMA’s middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. While discussing his training with MMA Junkie, De Ridder discussed a potential matchup with UFC’s reigning champion and believes the fight will be a fairly easy one for him:

“By training with him [Mousasi], I know my level,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie Radio. “I know I can hang with the best of them. If I look at like Israel Adesanya, the way he moves, his style, it’s like tailor-made for me. That guy is the easiest fight for me at middleweight around at the top. The way he moves, he’s so easy to be taken down in the open space. His wrestling defense against the wall is amazing. He gets up well, he defends all right on the floor, but I think I can choke that guy out easily.”

While De Ridder did not rule out the possibility of exploring free agency in the future, ‘The Dutch Knight’ confirmed that he is happy with ONE Championship and is not actively looking to leave the promotion:

“We have a small opportunity to make good money to support our families, to invest in the future, so the more competition there is, the better... Now there’s Bellator, there’s UFC, there’s ONE, there’s PFL. All good organizations where there’s money on the table, so if I go to free agency soon then I’ll be interested in talking to everyone, but I’m very happy with what ONE is doing, with what they’re offering me, so we’ll see.”

Watch the full interview below:

---

Reinier De Ridder is set to defend one of his championships at ONE 159 in July

In October 2020, Reinier De Ridder challenged Aung La Nsang for the ONE middleweight championship at ONE: Inside The Matrix. De Ridder would go on to secure an impressive finish via submission in the very first round to capture ONE Championship gold.

Six months later, De Ridder stepped up on short notice to once again face Nsang, this time for the ONE light heavyweight championship. De Ridder would once again best Nsang, this time by unanimous decision to become a two-division champion.

Reinier De Ridder is currently scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159 on July 22.