“I can just go to the supermarket and nobody bothers me” - Reinier de Ridder says he’s just a regular guy back home

Even after becoming one of the most recognizable faces in combat sports, Reinier de Ridder is happy to be unrecognizable whenever he’s home in the Netherlands.

‘The Dutch Knight’ is gearing up for another middleweight world title defense against interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin on a stacked double-header card at ONE on Prime Video 5. North American subscribers can catch all the action for free on Friday, December 2, on Amazon Prime Video.

Discussing his future showdown with Brian Campbell on the popular American MMA podcast Morning Kombat, De Ridder expressed relief at just being a regular guy back home despite his success.

The 32-year-old sensation said:

“And the good thing is, here in Holland back home, nobody really cares about me so I can just go to the supermarket and nobody bothers me.”

Reinier de Ridder has a huge following in Asia as a direct result of his long-reigning stronghold at ONE Championship.

He shot to fame when he defeated Myanmar’s national icon, ‘The Burmese Python’ Aung La N Sang for his middleweight gold back in 2020 at ONE: Inside the Matrix. The upset victory shook the entire stadium as nobody could’ve predicted a first-round submission against the inaugural middleweight world champion.

Following a second straight win against Aung La, the ‘The Dutch Knight’ holds two titles in two different weight classes, the middleweight, and light heavyweight world championship belts.

However, it’s his notorious grappling skills, in particular, that are starting to get noticed internationally at a rapid pace. But if it were up to him, he’d like to continue flying under the radar as much as he can.

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Reinier de Ridder says the first two minutes inside the circle will be the most important

Reinier de Ridder expects Anatoly Malykhin will want to impose his dominance on him in the very first seconds of their fight.

For De Ridder, those first couple of seconds are crucial in determining where the fight is going to go, so he will do everything in his power to get Malykhin’s respect.

He told ONE Championship:

“The first two minutes are very important in this fight because he’s going to come out strong, he’s going to try and press forward, and I’m going to come out strong, I’m going to be in the middle of the ONE circle. You’ll see me dominant from the first second.”

As seen in past footage, depending on who his opponent is, De Ridder likes to immediately shoot for a takedown. Other times, he’ll be more patient and set his takedowns with some striking.

Although De Ridder predicts Malykhin will punch his way forward, the Russian juggernaut might surprise ‘The Dutch Knight’ with a more tactical approach.

So, it’s going to be interesting to see who will have the circle advantage from the get-go, Reinier de Ridder or Anatoly Malykhin?