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Former long-time light heavyweight king Reinier de Ridder suffered his first professional loss at ONE on Prime Video 5, and he recently penned a message to his fans around the world.
'The Dutch Knight' fell to Russian powerhouse Anatoly Malykhin in his first attempt at defending his light heavyweight belt. While the 32-year-old still owns the promotion's middleweight title, this loss certainly still hurts.
After the dust settled a bit, De Ridder wrote out a blurb to give fans an update on how he's doing as well as his thoughts on the fight:
"Let me get some thoughts out here. This fight did not happen as I imagined."
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Reinier de Ridder continued:
"This is the risk I take every time I step into the cage and I have my reasons to accept that risk, mostly because I want to do something special with my life. I don’t need to fight to take care of my family, but I do and it can be tough on them. I’m grateful for all the support I get from my loved ones and all of you out there. I’m happy to be back home. 🙏"
The middleweight champ concluded:
"After all this, I would only be ashamed if I would not use it to become a better man. Maybe this is what I needed to take the next step in my evolution. We’re analyzing the fight and everything else. I’ll use this to reach a new level. The only way to move on is by doing what I do best: continuous hard work. 💪"
ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong praises Reinier de Ridder's warrior spirit
As is the case with most viewers, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong applauded De Ridder's warrior spirit, saying in the ONE on Prime Video 5 post-fight presser:
“No, he was still fighting. That's what was happening. He was knocked senseless, and he was still fighting. I mean, that also speaks to RDR's warrior spirit. He got hit so hard that when he came to, he was still trying to fight. So he was like, going for a single against our doctor.”
A world-class mixed martial artist through and through, 'The Dutch Knight' will surely put forth many more memorable performances inside the circle.
Be sure to check back for an announcement pertaining to Reinier de Ridder's next fight, as it will likely be his third middleweight title defense.
Check out Chatri Sityodtong's full ONE on Prime Video 5 post-fight presser below:
