Reinier de Ridder reminds fans that grounded knees are legal and VERY EFFECTIVE in ONE

While Reinier de Ridder is most known for his breathtaking submissions inside the circle, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is no stranger to getting the job done with his hands. Or, in this case, his knees, as experienced by Gilberto Galvao in their 2019 bout.

Less than a minute into the second round of their contest at ONE: Legendary Quest, Reinier de Ridder got the Brazilian down to the canvas and appeared to be looking for a D’arce choke before throwing brutal knees to Galvao’s head. It only took three before the Brazilian fell flat, and the fight was called 57 seconds into the round.

Watch the video below:

Though it was only the second knockout of his MMA career, it showed that Reinier de Ridder is dangerous in more ways than one. These tools will come in handy when he faces his biggest challenge yet in former middleweight world champion Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159 on July 22.

More than five years removed from the last time he had ONE gold wrapped around his waist, the Russian challenger is ready to reclaim the middleweight throne and hand De Ridder the first loss of his career.

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Reinier de Ridder’s grounded knees are just one example of how ONE Championship separates itself from other MMA organizations

ONE Championship debuts on Amazon Prime Video on August 26. More than 200 million fans in North America will have the opportunity to see ONE Championship on US primetime.

Being the biggest combat sports entity in the world, fans will immediately see the difference between ONE and the promotions on North American television. One of the biggest differences in the circle is knees to grounded opponents.

Commonly prohibited in North American MMA, grounded knees are fair game inside the circle. This is because ONE utilizes the Global Martial Arts Rules Set For Competition. In contrast, promotions in the United States and Canada use the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which strictly prohibits knees to a grounded opponent.

The North American ruleset can often get a little confusing as recent changes to the Unified Rules have redefined what a "grounded opponent" is. ONE Championship cuts the complication and ups the ante by allowing grounded knees in MMA bouts.

Some fans and fighters have spoken out about allowing grounded knees. Still, a majority are very much in favor, including the recipient of the knee heard around the world, Demetrious Johnson.

"Heres the thing you cant stall the fight by sitting on your knees. Knees to a grounded opponent should be allowed!” Johnson said on Twitter.

‘Mighty Mouse’ suffered a second-round knockout loss, the first KO of his career after ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes delivered a crushing knee to Johnson’s chin while he was on the canvas.