ONE Championship: Reinier de Ridder says UFC’s Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira would be ‘easy matchups’

Double champ thinks Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson would be tougher fights for him if he took on UFC’s top middleweights

‘Light heavyweight is still an option. I’m taller than those guys. [Jiri] Prochazka, Jan [Blachowicz]. They’re basically just strikers as well,’ De Ridder says

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Reinier de Ridder speaks to Mitch Chilson after his victory at ONE 159 in Singapore. Photos: ONE Championship

Published: 9:48am, 31 Jul 2022

Reinier de Ridder does not lack for self-confidence, that’s for sure.

ONE Championship’s middleweight and light heavyweight king is undefeated, and in his own eyes “unstoppable”, having stretched his record to 16-0 with a slick first-round submission of Vitaly Bigdash in Singapore last weekend.

So sure of his abilities is the Dutchman that he fancies a crack at a third title in ONE at heavyweight, and it is swiftly becoming increasingly impossible for the Asian martial arts promotion to deny him.

“They’re into it, but not as into it as I am,” De Ridder told the Post. “They want to do the guys first, [Arjan] Bhullar and [Anatoly] Malykhin. I think they’ve already set it up. We’re waiting to hear it be announced.”

Heavyweight king Bhullar and interim champ Malykhin are expected to land opposite each other on an upcoming ONE on Prime Video card in the second half of 2022. But either way, De Ridder isn’t keen on hanging around.

“I’d be down for everything,” he said. “The focus is of course MMA, but I understand there is not really somebody now that is a clear next opponent. I want to be active. Give me something in between, give me a little snack.