Reinier de Ridder says no bad blood with Tye Ruotolo after draw with Andre Galvao

Former ONE light heavyweight world champion and reigning middleweight king, Reinier de Ridder says he’s headed into his match with Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Tye Ruotolo feeling positive.‘The Dutch Knight’ believes there’s no bad blood between him and his opponent despite their history.

De Ridder drew with Ruotolo’s mentor, the legendary Andre Galvao at ONE X last year, in what was an exciting grappling affair. It was an impressive performance from Ridder, who is primarily an MMA fighter, taking on an all-time BJJ great.

Meanwhile, Ruotolo called out De Ridder after a submission victory over Russia’s Marat ‘Cobra’ Gafurov last December.

In a recent interview with The MMA Superfan, the Dutch submission specialist says there’s no ill will between him and the young Ruotolo. He said:

“I don’t think that has too much to do with it. I think he just wants to be active and get some opponents. I think it’s a good match-up and a nice match-up to look forward to.”

Reinier de Ridder is set to scrap with Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs Moraes III on Prime Video. The sold-out event broadcasts live from 1stBank Center in Colorado on Friday, May 5th, and will stream to fans in the United States and Canada for free with an active Amazon Prime subscription.

De Ridder is looking to kickstart a hopeful 2023, following a disastrous end to 2022 when he suffered the first loss of his professional career. De Ridder surrendered his ONE light heavyweight world title to eventual double-champion Anatoliy Malykhin in a shocking first-round knockout defeat.