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Reinier de Ridder is arguably one of the best grapplers in MMA. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has utilized his skills to take him to the top of the sport. He reigns as a two-weight world champion in ONE Championship.
The Dutchman will defend his ONE Middleweight World Title at ONE 159 in Singapore on July 22nd where he'll be gunning to extend his undefeated 15-0 record against Vitaly Bigdash.
'The Dutch Knight' proved he could mix it up with jiu-jitsu royalty when he battled Andre Galvao to a draw in their submission grappling match at ONE X in March. The Brazilian could be standing across the Circle from de Ridder again sometime soon after he called him out for a rematch in MMA during the post-fight interview.
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In the wake of their meeting, RDR went on a tour of the US where he rolled with some of the best in the business, including Galvao's arch-rival Gordon Ryan.
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The Atos Jiu-Jitsu founder is due to face 'King' at ADCC in September, and de Ridder has weighed in on who he thinks has the superior skillset.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he said,
"I'd say the stand-up; this is where Gordon is good, but this is the most tricky part for him. That's where Andre does very well, his wrestling is very good. So that's the interesting part. If they can get it to the floor I think Gordon will dominate him and be able to finish him, but if Andre is able to keep it standing, it might be different."
Galvao has said in interviews that he would love to run it back with Reinier de Ridder in MMA. The IBJJF hall-of-famer may have to wait his turn as the double world champ has his sights set on fighting for the heavyweight belt next.
Reinier de Ridder explains why he thinks it'll be a second round finish against Bigdash
Reinier de Ridder is as confident as any fighter on the roster when it comes to making predictions about his fights. It's easy to see why. The 31-year-old has finished 14 out of the 15 opponents he has faced in his pro MMA career and he believes that Bigdash will fall in the second round.
The former world champ earned his shot at recapturing the gold when he defeated Aung La N Sang via unanimous decision in their trilogy bout at ONE: Full Circle. 'The Dutch Knight', however, was not impressed with his opponent's performance and has questioned his gas tank.
"He's going to be tired by the end of the first. Then he's going to come out in the second guns blazing just because he has to finish the fight. He won't be able to. I'll take him down [and] I'll choke him out at the end of the second," explained the Breda-born star.
Finishing the challenger will be no mean feat. He's only been stopped once in his entire career. He suffered a TKO loss to former title contender Leandro Ataides in 2018 but, judging by Reinier de Ridder's past exploits in his ONE career, fans know full well that he's a fighter who tends to follow through on his plans.
Watch the full interview below:
