“I’m the only one left” – Reinier de Ridder says he’s the best middleweight MMA fighter in the world

ONE's two-division champion Reinier de Ridder has proven himself to be amongst the top fighters on earth since signing with the promotion. 'The Dutch Knight' recently asserted that he's the very best middleweight fighter on the planet.

De Ridder is looking to move to 8-0 inside the circle against light heavyweight challenger Anatoly Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5.

The unbeaten Dutch knockout artist called himself the top middleweight, regardless of organization, in an interview with Morning Kombat. He said:

"No, I’d say the best MMA fighter on the planet. The other two middleweight kings [Gegard Mousasi of Bellator and Israel Adesanya of UFC] have just lost their belts, and I’m the only one left."

De Ridder was referring to the UFC's Israel Adesanya and Bellator's Gegard Mousasi—both of whom lost their middleweight world titles this year.

Watch the full interview below:

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Reinier de Ridder says he'll finish Anatoly Malykhin

The ONE on Prime Video 5 headliner will feature a pair of undefeated middleweights in De Ridder and Malykhin. The Russian contender is entering the bout having finished each of his first three opponents inside ONE's circle.

Even knowing that, 'The Dutch Knight' is firm in his belief that he'll finish Malykhin inside five rounds. He told SCMP MMA:

“It’s not something I dirty my mind with. I don’t care. Whatever weight he shows up, I’ll finish him regardless. It’s the same thing with his friend [Vitaly] Bigdash. He struggled to make weight, and I think he missed like six times before finally making the weight.”

De Ridder defeated Vitaly Bigdash via submission at ONE 159 in July this year to keep his middleweight throne.

Incredibly, De Ridder has earned 14 of his 16 professional victories inside the distance. The 32-year-old is a perfect 7-0 under ONE's banner with a trio of opening-round submissions.

Look for the two unbeaten middleweights to meet in the middle and deliver an electric performance—and if history serves correctly—a finish will likely occur.

Make sure to watch the upcoming middleweight title fight between two-division champ Reinier de Ridder and top-contender Anatoly Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5 on December 2, live from The Mall of Asia in Manila, Philippines.

Catch Reinier de Ridder's full interview with SCMP MMA below: