Reinier de Ridder says pressure is now ‘bigger’ than before after first career defeat

Coming off a first-ever career defeat heading into his next fight, ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder is feeling a “bigger” pressure.

‘The Dutch Knight’ was dealt his first loss by knockout back in December, where he also surrendered the ONE light heavyweight gold to Russian juggernaut Anatoly Malykhin.

It is something he wants to turn around as he returns to action in a submission grappling contest against American Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5 in Colorado, U.S.A.

In the lead-up to the showdown, Reinier de Ridder shared he feels a different kind of pressure, stemming from his push to bounce back and start another winning run.

The Combat Brothers standout told The MMA Superfan:

“Not really, to be honest. I’ve never really thought of that. It’s the same thing with the belt. It’s not something that I think of every day like ‘I’m the champ’ or whatever. I’ve never really thought about the win streak. But if anything, the pressure is bigger than it has ever been before now.”

Watch the interview below:

The showdown with Tye Ruotolo marks Reinier de Ridder’s return to submission grappling. He last fought in it in March last year at ONE X against Ruotolo’s mentor Andre Galvao. The contest ended in a draw.

The 20-year-old Ruotolo, meanwhile, is out to stay unbeaten after winning his first two matches since making his ONE debut in May 2022.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be held at 1stBank Center in Colorado and will be aired live and for free to all North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.

---

Reinier de Ridder says grappling with Andre Galvao gave him a lot of perspective

Reigning ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder will return to submission grappling next month and he is drawing from his experience fighting legend Andre Galvao as he prepares for it.

'The Dutch Knight' will take on American Tye Ruotolo in a middleweight grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The event is set for May 5 at 1stBank Center in Colorado, U.S.A.

It will mark the first time Reinier de Ridder will grapple since he took on Galvao, Tye Ruotolo’s mentor, at ONE X in March last year.

The Dutch fighter shared to the South China Morning Post in an interview that his match with Galvao provided an added perspective for him, which he is using in preparation for the younger Ruotolo.

Reinier de Ridder said:

“Not extra motivation, but it does give some [perspective]. Like in the Galvao fight I took on three weeks’ notice. I was coming from an MMA fight and didn’t really have enough time for grappling. Now I’ve just been grappling for months …That gives me a lot of confidence.”

'The Dutch Knight' last fought in December, losing the ONE light heavyweight world title to Russian Anatoly Malykhin. He now hopes to bounce back and move past his first-ever professional defeat.

While he has been competing in mixed martial arts most of the time in ONE, De Ridder’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu background has been evident in all of his wins, which currently stand at seven since making his promotional debut in 2020.