“This was always the fight to make” – Reinier de Ridder says he’s always had Anatoly Malykhin in his crosshairs

With two ONE heavyweight world champions to choose from, it was an easy decision for Reinier de Ridder to put his focus on the more active of the two- Anatoly Malykhin.

The ONE interim heavyweight titleholder will meet de Ridder, the undefeated two-division world champion, this Friday night on ONE on Prime Video 5 headliner.

Discussing the bout with Malykhin, Reinier de Ridder believes it was all about facing the more active of the two heavyweight kings in his return to the circle:

“In my mind, this was always the fight to make. [Arjan] Bhullar has been out for so long. I don't know if he's even training or whatever. So I was never thinking of Bhullar, to be honest. I was always thinking of Malykhin. And to me, it doesn't matter at which weight, if I know I can beat him as well, that's enough.”

Heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar has long been linked to a title unification bout with Anatoly Malykhin. The two were even scheduled to square off at one point, but an injury forced Bhullar to withdraw from the contest.

18 months removed from his last meeting, the heavyweight division appears to be ready to move on from Arjan Bhullar, hence the pairing of Reinier de Ridder and Anatoly Malykhin this Friday night.

ONE on Prime Video 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin broadcasts live on Friday, December 2, and is free for fans in the United States and Canada with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Robert Soldic shares his thoughts on Reinier de Ridder ahead of ONE on Prime Video 5

ONE Championship debutant Roberto Soldic will make his first walk to the circle on the same night when Reinier de Ridder puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Anatoly Malykhin.

Speaking with The MMA Superfan, Soldic shared his thoughts on ‘The Dutch Knight’:

“He's unpredictable. You cannot see what's coming -- D'arce choke...or he can take your back. In his last fight, it was the reverse triangle [against Vitaly Bigdash], something like that. You cannot always see this submission. His stand-up is a little bit open but he will always go for the single leg to also try to get the body lock and then go for the back.”

Roberto Soldic will be tasked with handing undefeated Russian grappler Murad Ramazanov his first career defeat.