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Former two-division world title holder and current reigning and undisputed ONE middleweight MMA world champion ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder knows what he has to do when he steps into the ONE Championship ring next week against Russian powerhouse ‘Sladkiy’ Anatoly Malykhin.
The 33-year-old from Breda, Netherlands, says he has to keep calm under pressure and avoid Malykhin’s biggest shots, which he failed to do in their first encounter.
De Ridder locked horns with Malykhin in December 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 5. Unfortunately, ‘The Dutch Knight’ fell via first-round knockout at the hands of the power-punching Russian.
Now, the two are ready to run it back.
De Ridder will defend his middleweight MMA gold against Malykhin in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar, which broadcasts live from the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, on Friday, March 1.
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Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, De Ridder explained what needs to change in this rematch.
‘The Dutch Knight’ said:
“The most important thing is not to get hit, of course, as we've seen. so the defense is a very critical part of it. And to be able to remain calm under pressure, to remain calm under these heavy shots that he's going to be throwing. That's the most important thing I've been working on.”
Reinier de Ridder on Anatoly Malykhin: “He just has a very strong right hand”
What must Reinier de Ridder avoid? ‘The Dutch Knight’ singled out Anatoly Malykhin’s nuclear right hand as the main point of concern.
He added:
“He just has a very strong right hand and he's very dangerous with it. But to be honest, I was like, ‘I've seen this before and I'm just gonna take him down easily and choke him out.’”
ONE 166: Qatar broadcasts live on Friday, March 1, to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada. Fans can catch all the action live and free. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on ONE Championship.
