Reinier de Ridder says taking on Anatoly Malykhin on short notice was a mistake in hindsight

If he could do it again, Reinier de Ridder said he would not have taken the fight with Anatoly Malykhin for the ONE light heavyweight world title on short notice.

The two fighters collided last December at ONE on Prime Video 5 in Manila, where 'The Dutch Knight' fell to 'Sladkiy' by knockout in the opening round to lose the light heavyweight belt.

Speaking to SCMP MMA, Reinier de Ridder shared that he did not have the preparation he needed before entering the contest, which proved to be a fatal mistake in the end:

“So I take this fight a weight class up on five weeks' notice. I didn’t really have time to prepare. I didn’t really have time to gain weight. The guy had 10 kilos on me in the fight. I just bit off a bit more than I could chew.”

Watch the interview below:

Reinier de Ridder was dominated by Malykhin in their showdown as he was bombarded by the Russian with a barrage of uppercuts, body shots, and hooks. The Dutchman tried to go for his vaunted takedowns, but Malykhin was wise to avoid them and did not allow the former champion much headway.

The contest ended at the 4:35 mark of the opening frame with 'Sladkiy' throwing hammer fists on 'The Dutch Knight' who was crumpled on the mat before the referee stepped in to stop the match.

Despite the loss, Reinier de Ridder is still a ONE champion as he still holds the middleweight world title. He is set to see action in May in a submission grappling clash with American Tye Ruotolo in ONE’s first-ever live show in the United States.

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Reinier de Ridder says it’s "such a gift" to train in Texas with John Danaher

For his next fight later this year, ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder is stepping out of the mixed martial arts lane and will compete in submission grappling.

'The Dutch Knight' will be pitting his grappling skills against American BJJ star Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5 in Colorado, U.S.A. It is part of the promotion’s first-ever live event in North America.

It will mark a return to submission grappling for Reinier de Ridder, who last competed in it in March last year against Andre Galvao -- Ruotolo’s mentor. The match ended in a draw.

To help him prepare for the grappling showdown with the younger Ruotolo, the Dutchman spent time training once again with noted jiu-jitsu coach John Danaher in Austin, Texas.

He shared with the South China Morning Post in an interview that training with Danaher and his team was a big help and that he had a wonderful time:

“I was just out there in Texas for two weeks. Yeah, man. It’s so valuable, those guys, the wealth of knowledge that they have is amazing. They really invested their time in me, helping me out and helping me prepare specifically for this match-up [with Tye Ruotolo]. It’s such a gift, man. It’s wonderful to be there.”

Reinier de Ridder lost one of his two title belts last December to Anatoly Malykhin by first-round knockout in a light heavyweight world championship match. He is now looking to bounce back in his match against Ruotolo.

ONE Fight Night 10 happens at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. It will be aired live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.