Reinier de Ridder looks to defend middleweight belt then rematch Anatoly Malykhin this year

'The Dutch Knight' Reinier de Ridder is looking to have a very busy 2023. First, he will have a submission grappling match against Tye Ruotolo on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. Then, he wants two more world title clashes afterward.

While speaking in an interview with Tom Taylor of South China Morning Post MMA, the ONE middleweight world champion explained his ideal schedule for 2023. Reinier de Ridder said:

"MMA. Hopefully, somewhere in July. Hopefully at middleweight first and then at the end of the year, [Anatoly] Malykhin at light heavyweight."

See the full interview below:

In defending his middleweight throne, it could potentially be against former two-division world champion Aung La N Sang. Meanwhile, De Ridder is also looking to avenge the loss of his light heavyweight crown against Russian slugger Anatoly Malykhin last year. Malykhin handed de Ridder his first career MMA loss, which only adds motivation for ‘The Dutch Knight’ to get the win back.

But first, he has a submission grappling bout booked against Brazilian jiu Jitsu phenom Tye Rutolo at ONE Fight Night 10. The submission grappling match will be part of ONE's first on-site event in the USA and will be hosted at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The historic event will be headlined by a world title battle between ONE flyweight world champion 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson and 'Mikinho' Adriano Moraes.

All the action on the card will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.

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Reinier de Ridder looking forward to grappling Tye Ruotolo

'The Dutch Knight' Reinier de Ridder is looking to challenge himself against the top grapplers worldwide. A matchup against Jiu Jitsu prodigy Tye Ruotolo is a rare opportunity, especially for someone focused on competing in MMA matches. In the above interview, de Ridder explained:

“It’s very cool that I got a shot at this. I got to grapple Andre Galvao, and I get to grapple Tye Ruotolo, who’s one of the hottest prospects right now in grappling. I’m not even a grappler. I’m an MMA fighter, so it’s very cool that I get this opportunity.”

Former two-division king de Ridder is looking to leave an impression in the submission grappling world as he takes on Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.