"I’m confident, I’m well-trained, and I want to get the sub" - Andre Galvao looking to dominate Reinier de Ridder in ONE X grappling match

Andre Galvao isn’t all that concerned with Reinier de Ridder’s champ-champ status in mixed martial arts. They face off in a submission grappling match at ONE X. ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary show will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, March 26.

The legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter stated in a recent interview with ONE Championship that he knows exactly how 'The Dutch Knight' will operate in the match. He says he already has a plan to counter his taller opponent:

"I noticed that he exposed his back a lot, so I’ll go for that, and if not, I’ll find different ways to get a submission and close the space because he has very long limbs... He likes to work with the arm-triangles, D’Arce [chokes] and all that because of his long limbs, and a lot of body locks. He has a little bit of judo as well, [and] a good standup. So, he’s going to be very interesting, but I will overcome this challenge. I’m confident, I’m well-trained, and I want to get the sub.”

‘Deco’ is considered one of the greatest submission grapplers of all time, having earned seven Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships with a mind-boggling 160-29-1 record in the grappling arts.

Galvao is also not bothered about the height difference and says that he's used to fighting bigger opponents:

“I feel like [de Ridder is] a guy that controls all his opponents in grappling. Pretty much, when you take people down, you dominate them. He likes to take [their] back and all that, but I’m used to fighting bigger opponents because I’m like 5’8 and he’s like 6’4, right? He’s way taller than me, but we have the same weight. So, it’s going to be interesting, but I see myself always attacking him and making him really uncomfortable the whole time."

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A planned return to MMA for Andre Galvao

The 39-year-old grappler isn’t ruling out a jump into MMA and fighting Reinier de Ridder, ONE's light heavyweight and middleweight world champion.

Andre Galvao will have the obvious advantage in their matchup at ONE's showpiece event, but he’s also eager to face the challenge that the champ-champ poses in MMA:

“This fight is 100 percent grappling, and maybe one day, we can fight him in MMA as well, you know? He’s the double champ, and I know I’m just getting there. I have a long way to go, but as I said, my [immediate] goal is to go out there, finish the fight, and get [the] submission. And after that, you guys will see what is the next one for Andre Galvao in ONE Championship."

The stocky grappler last fought in MMA over 10 years ago, amassing an overall 5-2 record. His last match in the sport was in October 2010.