ONE Championship: Reinier de Ridder says defeat helped him gain focus, ready for Malykhin rematch in Qatar
- Dutchman putting middleweight belt on line against undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 166
- First round knockout ended previous light-heavyweight clash, de Ridder’s first loss in ONE Championship
Losing was an unfamiliar feeling for Reinier de Ridder before he stepped into the ring with undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin.
The Dutchman had not lost in eight ONE Championship fights heading into the pair’s MMA light-heavyweight title match at ONE Fight Night 5, with a draw against Andre Galvao the only slight blemish on an otherwise spotless record.
Malykhin needed less than five minutes to change all that, knocking de Ridder out in a bruising encounter in Manila on December 3, 2022.
“It was rough at the beginning, to lose especially in this fashion with the knockout, but we’re pretty privileged that we can experience these deep lows and amazing highs,” de Ridder said. “Most people sit in front of a computer screen or an office and never get to experience this. We get to experience it every couple of months, it has been a lot of highs but this time it was a low.”
The pair will meet again at ONE 166 in Qatar on Friday. This time the MMA middleweight title is on the line at Lusail Sports Arena, and de Ridder faces the possibility of a third defeat in a row, having lost by unanimous decision to Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10 last May.
One of the biggest things de Ridder took away from that loss was the need to show attention to detail, acknowledging that winning so often may have made him confident to the point of carelessness.