Athletes
Reinier de Ridder: ‘A Win Is Not Enough’
UFC Newcomer Reinier de Ridder Aims For Nothing Less Than A Spectacular Finish In His Promotional Debut Against Gerald Meerschaert At UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates
It was only a matter of time before former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Reinier de Ridder caught the UFC’s attention.
The 34-year-old started his professional mixed martial arts career in 2013 and climbed his way to become just the third two-division champion in ONE history. De Ridder finally got the call from the UFC this past summer after scoring a first round TKO in July to improve his record to 17-2.
“It’s something that we’ve been working on for a very long time,” de Ridder said of being offered a UFC contract. “It’s cool that it’s finally here.
Order UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic
“Like every fighter, when you start, you don’t start to become champion in any organization, you want to be the best in the UFC.”
Unlike a lot of UFC debutants, who earn contracts through various platforms including Dana White’s Contender Series, Road to UFC and The Ultimate Fighter, de Ridder already has over a decade of experience at an elite level, so he doesn’t expect to see massive changes in his day-to-day life.
With the UFC and its Performance Institute based in Las Vegas, Nevada, however, the Netherlands native may temporarily relocate with his family to the United States to be closer to the abundance of resources he’s already taking full advantage of.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of change,” de Ridder said. I have a good setup at home, but since the fights will most likely be here in America, and I’ve spent some time before training here, I might spend some more time over here. I’m looking to maybe bring my kids and spend like half a year or a little bit longer.
READ: Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates
“I’ve been here for a couple weeks training at the PI, which is an amazing resource. I spent some time at Xtreme Couture training there, I’ve had great help during the weight cut. It’s very cool to meet all you guys. Life’s good.”
Some of his time in the United States was spent in South Florida at Kill Cliff FC, where he trained alongside his upcoming opponent, Gerald Meerschaert. The two shared the mats together earlier this year, many months before “RdR” signed with the UFC. While they weren’t close teammates, it gave de Ridder an opportunity to see firsthand just how skilled Meerschaert, who boasts 29 submission victories, truly is on the ground.
“I think his grappling is great,” de Ridder said. “I’ve experienced it a little bit. I’ve trained with him a little bit a while back, so I know how good his grappling is. I know I have to be safe because he’s very sneaky from different positions. He builds a lot during the fight so the longer the fight goes the more dangerous he gets, so I might just have to get him out of there early”
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X
Meerschaert presents an intriguing challenge for de Ridder, who’s eager to climb the middleweight rankings quickly. “GM3” has already earned two submission wins in 2024, over Edmen Shahbazyan and Bryan Barberena.
“It’s so cool that they offered me this guy right away,” de Ridder said. “It’s cool that he accepted. He’s a veteran, he’s a [big] name. I aspire to get like half the finishes in the UFC that he has. It’s a great challenge and hopefully we’ll see some nice grappling exchanges because we know how good his grappling is and I hope to show off mine.”
Does de Ridder want to entertain fans with high-level grappling exchanges? Sure. But he’d much rather stop Meerschaert emphatically and as early as possible in the fight. The 34-year-old has been waiting a long time for this opportunity, and he doesn’t want it to go to waste.
Visit de Ridder's Athlete Profile
“A win is not enough in this one, I need to finish him,” de Ridder said. “I need to finish him, and I need to do it spectacularly as quickly as possible. Put the pressure on him. Then I hopefully have some leverage to call out big names.
“I never go in there waiting for the judges to say whatever they have to say, but especially this one, it’s my first fight here, I want to be fighting the top guys as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait more years. I’ve been waiting for years to finally get a shot at these guys, so I got to make it happen right now.”
UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 12, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags