"I'm coming out to visit you guys soon" – Reinier de Ridder plans to improve BJJ alongside Gordon Ryan

Reinier de Ridder’s BJJ is already a threat to anyone in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions in ONE Championship. The Breda native now plans to further fine-tune his skills on the canvas alongside Gordon Ryan, an athlete dubbed the GOAT of submission grappling.

The two superstars shared a light conversation in a recent Instagram post uploaded by the Dutchman following his middleweight submission grappling match against Andre Galvao at ONE X on Saturday, March 26.

Reinier de Ridder’s caption read:

“Had some fun grappling the legend that is @galvaobjj I couldn’t get the finish so it ended in a draw. Next is definitely MMA and somebody is getting murdered. Thank you Singapore, @onechampionship, Harun, @renzograciebjj @tomdeblass.”

To which Ryan commented:

“You looked great out there!”

‘The Dutch Knight' responded with thanks before telling the American star about his future plans:

“@gordonlovesjiujitsu thank you. Will do much better next time. And I’m coming out to visit you guys soon!”

If they do end up sharing the mats, it will surely be a win-win situation for both men.

Ridder wasn’t entirely happy with his performance against Galvao at ONE’s 10-year anniversary showpiece, and he jokingly asked the Brazilian for another 12-minute round inside the circle immediately after their submission grappling contest ended.

The two-division champion had to settle for a rematch under MMA rules, which the BJJ superstar agreed to in his post-fight interview.

Training alongside the likes of Gordon Ryan would help Reinier de Ridder develop the technical advantages he needs to outclass the 39-year-old BJJ black belt when they cross paths again. From Ryan's perspective, the Breda fighter's draw against Galvao could allow him to spot gaps in the Brazilian's game ahead of the 2022 ADCC World Championship – where they'll both be competing.

Not that Ryan needs anything from 'The Dutch Knight' to perfect his craft. But a couple of rolling sessions with the two-division world champion may be the perfect preparation for the American grappling wizard.

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Who will challenge Reinier de Ridder in the circle next?

Reinier de Ridder is expected to return to competition sometime later this year to defend either his middleweight or light heavyweight crown.

Nothing has been confirmed by the Singapore-based promotion as of yet, but one opponent seems to be leading the charge to face off against the Combat Brothers star – former middleweight king Vitaly Bigdash.

The Russian fighter picked up a memorable win over Aung La N Sang at ONE: Full Circle, and he remains hopeful that he'll challenge ‘The Dutch Knight’ for the middleweight throne next.

If that fight doesn't happen, though, a stint at heavyweight could be the Dutchman’s next option on the global stage. But only after Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin unify the divisional gold.