“He’s the toughest guy in ONE Championship” – Andre Galvao explains why Reinier de Ridder is so dangerous

Andre Galvao's Brazilian jiu-jitsu has taken him to the very top of the grappling world. He'll exhibit his unique skills for the first time on the global stage at ONE X this Saturday, March 26.

The Brazilian athlete will engage in a middleweight submission grappling contest with Reinier de Ridder at the 10-year anniversary spectacle. The two-division MMA champion seems to be the perfect opponent for Galvao to face in his debut.

Ahead of his clash with 'The Dutch Knight', Andre Galvao shared his views on why he expects a tough clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

“He's the toughest guy in ONE Championship, and he knows jiu-jitsu. So definitely this fight is going to show people who Andre Galvao is in ONE Championship. And it's a great task for him as well. So, he can test his grappling against me,” he shared during a pre-fight scrum.

The multi-time BJJ world champion would be wise not to underestimate de Ridder’s wizardry on the canvas. The 31-year-old Breda native holds a black belt in the gentle arts and didn't just pick up the sport to improve his arsenal.

The Dutchman has been a practitioner of BJJ since he was a teenager. Andre Galvao knows that experience will be pivotal when they meet to tussle it out on the mats.

“He's a black belt. He's not just an MMA fighter that's a purple belt, that's a blue belt. You know, those guys that train just a little bit of jiu-jitsu. His background is jiu-jitsu. He competes in jiu-jitsu. So he knows jiu-jitsu. Also, he's a double champ. And he's undefeated. So he has all the qualities right there. And that means that he has heart. He works really hard. He has discipline,” Galvao added.

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Andre Galvao on ONE debut: “This is a great introduction”

A victory against de Ridder at ONE X would be a great way for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend to start his journey on the global stage.

When speaking about his future plans, the Brazilian made it clear that he will use this match to gage whether or not to make a return to MMA in the future. The 39-year-old said:

“I'm not taking this fight as an easy fight. You know? And also like I say, I never have, like, lately in my career, I never fought easy fights. I always get the tough guys. And also, it's something that people will be like, man, I want to see Andre Galvao fight MMA right now. It's going to be great. It's a great introduction, for sure.”

Fans will find out the winner of this exciting grappling contest at ONE X, set for this Saturday, March 26.