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UFC Surprisingly Dips Into ONE Championship Roster To Land Former Two-Division Champ

UFC
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The UFC has grabbed former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder according to a report by MMA Fighting.

De Ridder last fought in July, meaning he could return anytime for his Octagon debut.

Read more: Sage Northcutt Responds To ONE Championship Fight Exit

During his strong run in ONE, the Asia-based promotion, de Ridder captured light heavyweight and middleweight belts with victories over Aung La N Sang.

In 2020, he topped N Sang via submission for the middleweight belt, returning in 2021 to claim the light heavyweight title from him via decision. Following two successful title defenses of the middleweight belt, he lost the 225-pound title to Anatoly Malykhin in 2022.

This past March, de Ridder was stopped by Malykhin for the middleweight title, ending his run with ONE.

In July, he debuted for UAE Warriors, topping Magomedmurad Khasaev via TKO in the first round.

Overall, de Ridder is 17-2 with 11 submission wins to his credit. The ONE middleweight title was contested at 205 pounds, meaning he is likely for the light heavyweight division in the UFC.

UFC Lands Former ONE Titleholder

De Ridder made his MMA debut in 2013, reeling off 16 consecutive wins. That included a stretch of seven straight for ONE.

During his time with ONE, he bested the likes of N Sang, Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash.

The 34-year-old from the Netherlands is nicknamed “The Dutch Knight.” He has won silver twice at the European Championships in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

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