The Tremendous Rise Of Reinier de Ridder

Childhood of Grappling molds Reinier de Ridder into a deadly submission artist

Beginning his journey into sports at a very early age, Reinier de Ridder started his ascent toward mixed martial arts greatness by taking up Judo when he was just five-years old. By the time he was a teenager, he had earned his black belt. 

By the time he graduated from high school, he also began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which would become his base fighting style. Earning a black belt in the discipline as well, de Ridder represented The Netherlands at the European Championships in 2016 and 2017, netting silver medals at both events. He also would compete in several prominent grappling matches later on in ONE Championship, fighting to a draw with fourth-degree black belt André Galvão and taking BJJ phenom Tye Ruotolo the distance in a losing effort. 

Reinier de Ridder’s Early Mixed Martial Arts Run

Forgoing a stint in the amateur circuit, Reinier de Ridder took to the cage as a professional for the first time on June 1st, 2013, where he bested Marco Wuest with a dominant first- round submission in his 205-lb debut. From here, the Dutchman’s activity ended up becoming spotty, with him fighting just once more over the next two years. In 2016, however, he started to become much more active, recording two more victories that year with two more first-round stoppages. 

In 2017, Reinier de Ridder made the decision to drop down to middleweight, a move that brought a lot of positive results for him, as he went undefeated in that weight class as well, winning his first five contests in the division, including scoring the HIT Fighting Championship and the 360 Promotion’s 185-lb straps. His reputation for his grappling also began to grow, because by the time 2018 came to a conclusion, seven of his nine triumphs had come by way of tapout. 

Reinier de Ridder: Becoming Titleholder in ONE Championship

Reveling in his success as a top prospect on the global mixed martial arts scene, Reinier de Ridder received the invitation to fight under the ONE Championship banner in 2019, taking his first bout with the organization at ONE: Hero’s Ascent. His adversary for the occasion was prolific Chinese finisher Fan Rong, who had culminated a sterling 17-1 record at the time of the scrap. Stepping up for his toughest challenge up until that point, the undefeated Dutchman shined brightly in his freshman outing in the company, taking out Rong in just a minute with a brabo choke. 

Netting two more wins over Gilberto Galvão and Leandro Ataides, de Ridder had earned the chance to contend for the ONE middleweight title against then three-time defending belt-holder Aung La Nsang at ONE: Inside the Matrix in 2020. The American-Burmese was hailed as a standout champion in the promotion, as he also held the light heavyweight strap in addition to being on a superb seven-bout winning streak. In a major upset, however, “The Dutch Knight” dethroned the immaculate La Nsang with a baffling first-round submission. 

Reinier de Ridder Ascends to Two-Division Champion Status, Rivalry with Malykhin  

With his mind-boggling victory over the established two-weight king, de Ridder had risen to become arguably one of the best middleweight fighters on planet earth. Not resting on his laurels, though, the European booked himself in an immediate rematch with La Nsang that next April in an attempt to steal the “The Burmese Python”’s light heavyweight championship. Colliding once more at ONE on TNT 4, their runback wound up going all the way to the judge’s scorecards, with de Ridder again defeating La Nsang in a magnificent unanimous decision showing to become the third double champion in ONE FC history. 

Over the next year, the Dutchman would defend his middleweight throne two times, stopping both Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash. Attempting to retain his light heavyweight belt for the first time in late 2022, de Ridder locked horns with fellow unbeaten fighter Anatoly Malykhin, who was entering the encounter as the then ONE FC interim heavyweight kingpin. Although he had looked incredible in his nearly 10-year career up until now, the insane punching power of the Russian proved to be too much for de Ridder, who fell to Malykhin by strikes in just the first round. 

Taking more than a year off, Reinier de Ridder returned in 2024 to take on “Sladkiy” for a second time, putting his middleweight championship on the line this time. Sadly, Malykhin again came out on top after another thorough beatdown, forcing the Dutchman to retire from the match in the third, dropping his final belt to the surging Russian. 

Reinier de Ridder Joins UFC

In the wake of his disappointing performances against Malykhin, de Ridder opted to leave ONE FC, ending his more than four year relationship with the promoter. Competing in his first post-ONE fight bout a mere four months removed from his last loss, the European flattened Magomedmurad Khasaev at UAE Warriors 51. 

Now without a major organization to call home, he was now one of the hottest free agents in the entire sport, and later that September, he took the next big step in his career by signing with the UFC. In no time at all, de Ridder walked into the Octagon for the first time two months later at UFC Vegas 100 in a massive co-main event spot opposite Gerald Meerschaert, the man who currently owns the most submission wins in UFC middleweight history at 11. Capitalizing on the debut, “The Dutch Knight” demonstrated his skills to fans of the promotion by tapping out the Midwesterner in the third round.

Keeping a very active schedule, de Ridder next fought at UFC 311, coming to blows with perennial fan-favorite competitor Kevin Holland. Making a main card appearance on the company’s first pay-per-view card of 2025, the former ONE FC icon logged another impressive submission finish, choking out the American with a masterful rear naked choke in round number one. 

After making quick work of “Trailblazer,” de Ridder not only won his second UFC contest in a row, he also propelled himself into the 185-lb rankings, earning the number 13 spot. Making his comeback this past May, the Dutchman endeavored to defend his place on the middleweight totem pole opposite undefeated wrecking ball Bo Nickal at UFC on ESPN 67. 

In the wake of his highly successful wrestling tenure, which included three NCAA Division 1 titles, Nickal made the transition to mixed martial arts, quickly earning entrance in the UFC after just his third professional fight. He then continued his swift-moving hype train by winning his first four scraps in the organization, beating a couple of veteran names in Cody Brundage and Paul Craig. Although Nickal boasted a sizable wrestling pedigree, de Ridder made the choice to stand with him instead, denying the American’s takedowns before scoring an emphatic second-round knockout. 

A “Reaper” Blocks Reinier de Ridder’s Way to UFC Gold

Now firmly settled into his place as one of the best 185-lb fighters in the UFC, de Ridder is wasting little time in embarking on a warpath toward the championship. Dead set on reclaiming his place at the middleweight summit himself, Whittaker is looking to shut down the seemingly unstoppable advance of the resurging Dutch colossus. With the greatest prize in all of combat sports possibly just a punch away, Reinier de Ridder can make a strong argument for a title shot later on in 2025 if he manages to make his way past the formidable New Zealander.