Two-division ONE MMA world champion Reinier De Ridder will return to the ONE Championship Circle for the latest defense of middleweight throne at ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash. “The Dutch Knight” has been a dominant force since arriving on the global stage in 2019. He has amassed a perfect 6-0 record in mixed martial arts, with four finishes, and he’ll be looking to add former divisional king Vitaly Bigdash to his list of wins when they square off in the evening’s main event.
Although his upcoming opponent is enjoying a three-bout winning streak, De Ridder isn’t phased by the Russian star’s skill set, and he expects another easy night inside the Circle.
“[Bigdash] takes his time, picks his shots,” De Ridder told ONE. “There are a lot of single shots on the feet, which is smart sometimes. His shots are pretty straight, pretty clean. But he’s predictable, and he gets tired very easily.”
The two-division king has never shied away from giving his predictions either, and he has repeatedly backed up his words with incredible performances. At ONE 159, De Ridder is expecting more domination to occur as he plans to impose his will over Bigdash.
“He’s going to be tired by the end of the first,” he said. “And he is going to be done by the end of the second.”
Although his plate is full with having to defend two divisions, De Ridder is still eyeing a third world championship. The Dutchman has been vocal about his interest in a match against ONE heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar – and his callouts aren’t stopping ahead of his latest title defense.
“I’ve been saying this for too long now,” said De Ridder. “But come on, give me a shot at heavyweight. I hope [to get] Bhullar. Bhullar is an interesting matchup. I can’t say too much about my prediction right now, but I’m very confident in what I do, of course.”
Confidence has never been an issue for De Ridder, and he is not lacking it ahead of his Jul. 22 meeting with Bigdash. The Dutch Knight is ready to slay his next challenger while continuing his bid to become the sport’s first three-division king.