The Dutch Knight Rises

Reinier de Ridder used to believe his own hype. Who could blame him? Through 16 fights, nobody could test him. Nobody could hurt him. Nobody could stop him from claiming ONE Championship’s middleweight and light heavyweight titles.

At least that was what he thought before Anatoliy Malykhin viciously took his light heavyweight belt at ONE on Prime Video 5. That December night in the Philippines was the worst of de Ridder’s career, and he has spent the last 14 months rebuilding what Malykhin destroyed in four and a half minutes: his confidence.

“I got a little bit too arrogant and was too much inside my own head,” de Ridder told Sherdog.com. “I thought I could take anybody down and choke anybody out in the world, but it wasn’t like that this time. I’ve tried to grow, and hopefully, I can show this March 1.”

De Ridder’s shot at revenge does not come without a risk. His middleweight title will be on the line when he rematches Malykhin at ONE 166 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. His thirst for redemption may not be enough to stop Malykhin’s quest for a third title. If de Ridder hopes to shock “Sladkiy,” he must mix up his attack. Over the past year, de Ridder says he has focused on defense and effectively picking his counters. Using his feints and light punches to set up his decorated grappling has always been a trusted game plan, but he may need to have a backup plan ready.

When “The Dutch Knight” was wobbled 20 seconds into the fight, he searched for a takedown out of desperation, and the former Russian wrestling champion was not having it. De Ridder’s strategy fell apart quickly. Every time he shot, Malykhin clubbed him until there was nowhere to escape. Despite being rocked for the first time in his career, de Ridder showcased his heart. He threw punches and circled the cage, looking to avoid heavy blows. The fight might have played out differently had he survived the first round.

“That was something that I was thinking about the first few months after the fight,” de Ridder said. “If only I could’ve survived a minute more … I’ve tried to let that thing go because it is what it is. I have to deal with what happened and grow from what I learned in the fight.”

The main lesson de Ridder learned from his first career loss was the importance of humility. Despite Malykhin’s undefeated record, de Ridder admits he still underestimated him. He was not focused and thought he would simply submit him like he had 11 other opponents. Again, de Ridder’s career to that point had been a breeze. Only two fighters have ever gone the distance with him, and he had not felt defeat or a punch that could actually hurt him. Malykhin was the wake-up call he needed.

“It took me a little while to get over,” de Ridder said, “especially with the way it happened. It’s not like I lost a close decision or whatever. I got knocked out brutally.”

The lowlights still cause him to cringe, but de Ridder understands he must put the past behind him in order to stop the undefeated two-weight champion. His overconfidence was his downfall in their first bout, but he believes he has found the perfect balance between confidence and humility.

“The balance has to be right, and in MMA, you can go too far to one or the other pretty easily,” de Ridder said. “I’m still supremely confident in my skills. I know that I’m better than this guy. I just have to show it.”