ONE Championship: Reinier de Ridder admits frustration at being ‘left out’, says ‘I can finish anybody in the world’
- ‘Bring all the bodies and I’ll do my job,’ says double champ who still plans on adding heavyweight title to his collection in 2022
- ‘These are my prime years. I’m at the top of my game. I’m fitter, stronger, better than ever. I just want to showcase that,’ De Ridder says
Reinier de Ridder has been frustrated, to say the least, after sitting on the sidelines for 10 months, with his two ONE Championship world titles gathering dust.
“The Dutch Knight” (14-0) is in the conversation for the Asian promotion’s pound-for-pound greatest fighter, but he has seen his calls for a return to the Circle fall on deaf ears since taking a second belt off Aung La N Sang in April 2021.
Now the middleweight and light heavyweight king is finally back, in a champion-vs-champion clash against Kiamrian Abbasov, the ruler of ONE’s welterweight division, at February 25’s Full Circle event.
“I’m happy it’s finally materialising,” De Ridder told the Post. “Hopefully nothing happens, and we get to throw down in February.”
He hasn’t always been happy – it was just a month ago the 31-year-old was calling out everybody under the sun, including heavyweight champion Arjan Bhullar. He even jokingly offered to fight flyweight MMA legend Demetrious Johnson and his upcoming opponent, the Muay Thai champ Rodtang Jitmuangnon, at the same time.