Reinier De Ridder successfully defended his position at the top of the ONE Championship middleweight division at ONE Championship: Full Circle, and his post-match comments generated significant interest from a highly decorated grappler.
“The Dutch Knight” has controlled and dominated each of his opponents to date and has an unblemished 15-0 record along with two ONE world championships.
After defeating Kiamrian Abbasov via arm-triangle choke, de Ridder called for a match against Andre Galvao at ONE X to determine who the best grappler in the world truly is. And the five-time BJJ world champion and six-time ADCC world champion responded in favor of the matchup.
“Hey ONE Championship, let’s make it happen!” exclaimed Galvao. “I’m ready.”
While the bout is far from signed, a mixed martial arts match between the two seems unlikely given the quick turnaround time. However, given ONE’s interest in putting on grappling superfights, it is still an option. That leaves the door open to truly find out who the better man is on the ground.
Galvao announced his return last November and signed with ONE to compete in both grappling and MMA.
Jumping right back into the deep end against De Ridder would be a great way to introduce the multiple-time grappling champion to the global stage. And if the bout were to get added to ONE X, it would be another incredible addition to an already star-laden card.
With MMA title tilts and ONE Super Series gold are on the line, the addition of a top-tier grappling match could allow ONE to show the world the full slate of martial arts on its global stage.
ONE X airs live on Saturday, Mar. 26.