WATCH: Reinier de Ridder resurfaces in training a month after Anatoly Malykhin KO

Reinier de Ridder is back in training after suffering a vicious knockout loss against Anatoly Malykhin.

‘The Dutch Knight’ was on top of the world before fighting Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5. The current ONE middleweight world champion was looking to defend his light heavyweight belt against ’Sladkiy'. The Russian fended off de Ridder’s takedown attempts early on and landed a barrage of heavy punches to secure a first-round finish.

One month later, ‘The Dutch Knight’ is on the mats grappling. He posted a video on Instagram with the caption:

“Back on the jiu jitsu grind. I’m taking some time off from getting hit in the head. But im working on getting better everywhere. Focused on the comeback. #newlevel #mma #onechampionship #boxing #grappling”

Malykhin left ONE on Prime Video 5 as the promotion’s newest two-division world champion. He now holds the ONE interim heavyweight world title and the undisputed light heavyweight crown. Although ‘Sladkiy’ made a statement against de Ridder, there will likely be a rematch in the future. Meanwhile, ‘The Dutch Knight’ needs to bounce back physically and mentally.

Watch Reinier de Ridder back on the mats below:

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What’s next for Reinier de Ridder?

Reinier de Ridder is at a crossroads in his fighting career. The 32-year-old still holds ONE middleweight world title, and it was his first loss in professional MMA. However, his striking was exposed by the vicious power of Anatoly Malykhin.

So, what’s next? ‘The Dutch Knight’ could strive for an immediate rematch against Malykhin, but he should probably regain momentum first. De Ridder might decide to defend his middleweight title, where a host of challengers await. Or, he could compete in another submission grappling match.

There were some positives for de Ridder to take away from 2022. Before losing to Malykhin, ‘The Dutch Knight’ was on track for another impressive calendar year. He first beat Kiamrian Abbasov to defend his middleweight throne in February. A month later, the 32-year-old went to a draw against grappling legend Andre Galvao in a submission grappling match.

The ONE middleweight world champion also secured the promotion’s submission of the year against Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159. De Ridder is a world-class fighter and shouldn’t be counted out because of his loss to Malykhin.