“It will be nice to get taken down for once” - Reinier de Ridder is prepared to fight off his back against Anatoly Malykhin

At ONE on Prime Video 5, double champion Reinier de Ridder will return to the circle. With his light heavyweight world championship being put up on the line, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will defend against the interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin. The event is live and free on Prime Video for North American fans.

Not satisfied with having to wait around for current heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar to return, Anatoly Malykhin has had to look elsewhere to stay active.

Setting his sights on taking one of de Ridder’s world titles, Malykhin will put his undefeated record on the line against the Dutchman in this champion vs. champion match-up.

Speaking about the upcoming match-up, Reinier de Ridder looked forward to being the smaller man in the cage. In an interview with SCMP MMA, the double champion said:

“It will be nice to get taken down for once, to let somebody else do the heavy work. But I don’t think he’ll be looking for a takedown in this fight.”

Watch the full interview below:

‘The Dutch Knight’ has produced one of the best runs ever seen inside the circle since signing with ONE Championship in 2019. Going 7-0 with ONE, de Ridder has claimed double champion status at middleweight and light heavyweight, defending the middleweight world title twice. He will come up against another unstoppable force when he faces Anatoly Malykhin, who has stopped all three of his opponents in ONE Championship.

---

“Full of focus and in a murderous mindstate” - Reinier de Ridder shares how he calms his mind after fights

When Reinier de Ridder enters the circle, he comes in with the intention of dominating his opponent, causing damage, and finishing them. In seven MMA bouts under the ONE Championship banner, no one has been able to stop ‘The Dutch Knight’ from imposing his will.

With five wins via stoppage under his belt and two world championships, de Ridder has produced one of the greatest runs ever seen in the promotion.

Holding both the middleweight and light heavyweight world championships, no one has been able to defeat the double champion through 16 fights. Though his skills do the talking under the spotlight, de Ridder has a bulletproof mentality to go with his perfect record. Taking to Instagram, Reinier De Ridder gave fans some insight into his mindset before and after a fight with a lengthy post:

“It took me a little while to calm down the last time around, because I was so deeply immersed in the zone, so full of focus and in a murderous mindstate.”

“Two books I read have really pushed me to the next level recently. If you want to do something extraordinary in life or if you want to get to know my mindset better. You need to read @timgrover his books. It has done a lot for me to read that there is more people like me and it has really made me realize it is ok to think the way I do.”

“Long story short: Thank you Tim.”