Reinier De Ridder, Andre Galvao Both Hope To Square Off At ONE X
Two-division ONE World Champion Reinier de Ridder put on another incredible showcase to retain the middleweight belt last Friday, but he’s not about to rest on his laurels.
After submitting welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: FULL CIRCLE, the undefeated mixed martial artist immediately jumped on the mic to proposition a BJJ icon.
De Ridder, a BJJ and judo black belt in his own right, called out Brazilian legend Andre Galvao, who inked a deal with ONE Championship last November.
In fact, the Dutch superstar is hoping to get back inside the Circle at ONE’s colossal 10-year anniversary event on Saturday, 26 March.
De Ridder said:
“In three weeks at ONE X, Andre Galvao, let’s find out who the best grappler is around these parts. Let’s go man, I’ll choke you out!”
Galvao is a five-time BJJ World Champion and a six-time ADCC World Champion. He also competed in MMA between 2008 and 2010, and he recently stated his desire to return to the all-encompassing sport.
While no ruleset has been confirmed – leaving both a grappling match and a mixed martial arts bout on the table – Galvao responded positively to “The Dutch Knight.”
The Brazilian said:
“🇺🇸 🔥Right after a great victory via sub (Katagatame) bjj black belt & The One FC double champ Reinier De Ridder @deriddermma (185 & 205) challenged me 😤
“✅ Hey @onechampionship let’s make it happen!!! 💯👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼✨🤩 I’m ready!”
Reinier De Ridder Puts Heavyweight Titleholders On Notice
Along with Galvao, Reinier de Ridder is eyeing the biggest mixed martial artists in ONE Championship.
After calling out the Brazilian, the reigning light heavyweight and middleweight king added that he wants to move up to heavyweight and challenge for a third ONE World Title.
That means ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan Bhullar and ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin are directly in the 15-0 Dutchman’s crosshairs.
De Ridder said:
“I beat the welterweight champ, I beat the middleweight champ, I beat the light heavyweight champ – what’s next? Heavyweight guys, come on!
“Let me fight Malykhin. Let me fight Bhullar in the same night. I’ll finish these guys in the same night!”
“The Dutch Knight” and Bhullar have already exchanged a war of words, but Malykhin will get the next shot at the Canadian-Indian, as each heavyweight seeks to unify the belts.
Still, De Ridder will be waiting in the wings, getting ready to jump in at any opportunity. And if given the choice, it seems like he would prefer to get his hands on “Singh.”
Before facing Abbasov, “The Dutch Knight” stated:
“I’d still like the Bhullar fight. He’s been running from it for a while, and it might be time to do it. But the other guys are fine as well.”
