Reinier de Ridder contemplates going for submission grappling belt

Former ONE light heavyweight and current middleweight world champion ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder has always been known as one of the most dangerous MMA grapplers in the game today. With 11 submission victories out of a total 16 career wins, it’s safe to say that De Ridder knows a thing or two about fighting on the ground.

Those grappling skills will certainly be of good use in his next fight, when he takes on 20-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu prodigy Tye Ruotolo in a middleweight submission grappling match at ONE Fight Night 10.

If ‘The Dutch Knight’ is able to defeat the young star, he may even consider going for ONE Championship golden hardware in the sport, targeting Tye’s twin brother Kade.

In a recent interview with YouTube channel The MMA Superfan, Reinier de Ridder sent out an ominous warning to ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion Kade Ruotolo:

“Maybe [after my MMA career], we’ll see. Maybe choke out the one Ruotolo and call out the other one.”

Catch the interview below:

Reinier de Ridder and Tye Ruotolo lock horns at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video. The sold-out event broadcasts live from the 1stBank Center in Colorado on Friday, May 5, and will stream free to fans in the United States and Canada via Amazon Prime.

Although Tye Ruotolo doesn’t have a ONE world title around his waist like his brother Kade, he does have two highlight-reel submission wins in ONE Championship, and recently became the youngest black belt IBJJF world champion in history.

Reinier de Ridder knows that his upcoming opponent has the skills to give him a good scrap, and ‘The Dutch Knight’ will be looking to put on a show against a young, hungry lion in Tye Ruotolo.