Reinier de Ridder has two wishes if he leaves the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, February 25, with a 15th career win against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: Full Circle.
Firstly, he hopes to defend his light heavyweight crown against other contenders yearning for a crack at the division gold.
And second, he wants the media to stop asking him about a trilogy showdown with Aung La ‘The Burmese Python’ N Sang.
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In a recent interview with Sherdog, the two-division world champion described a third battle against the Burmese superstar as a duel that is practically ‘pointless’.
“Come on, I've been there, done that. I got him out of there quick the first time. I dominated him for five rounds the second time. What's left to prove? I wish him a good career, I wish him all the best,” Reinier de Ridder said.
'The Dutch Knight' is tired of the endless questions thrown his way about a rematch with the Sanford MMA representative. De Ridder took out Aung La N Sang on two occasions, claiming the middleweight and light heavyweight gold in the process.
Reinier de Ridder forced ‘The Burmese Python’ to tap at 3:26 of the first frame in their first meeting, then dominated the Myanmar legend in a 25-minute battle en route to a unanimous decision win when they ran it back.
Albeit indirectly, the 31-year-old double world champion will be watching Aung La N Sang in his upcoming fight at ONE: Full Circle, as he has expressed interest in fighting the Muay Thai veteran's opponent, Vital Bigdash.
Reinier De Ridder reveals Bigdash’s best method to win against Aung La N Sang
Bigdash and Aung La N Sang are set to lock horns in an epic trilogy bout to bring their rivalry to a close after five years at the February 25 event. Both men hold one victory apiece, and a win for either would keep their name in the middleweight conversation.
Reinier de Ridder understands that it will be a mammoth task for Bigdash, but he sees flaws every time ‘The Burmese Python’ gets tested in the grappling department.
“If Vitaly mixes in his wrestling, mixes in his grappling, I think he has a good shot as well. I'd hope for Vitaly, I'd go for Bigdash because it gets me a new guy, a new opponent, another option to fight. But we'll see, I can't [make a guess], it's a hard one to predict,” 'The Dutch Knight' said.