Reinier de Ridder, who started his career with a 16-0 record, admitted to underestimating his opponent Anatoly Malykhin, which led to his first-round knockout, but is now preparing for a rematch with Malykhin at ONE 166.
Reinier de Ridder, he started his career like a dream. Undefeated, 16-0, he thought he’d always be the king of the ring.
His logic wasn’t entirely flawed. After all, he’d been a beast in ONE Championship, tearing through two divisions. Seven wins in a row, five finishes, and two titles to his name.
Then came Anatoly Malykhin. He dropped down from heavyweight to challenge de Ridder for the light heavyweight title. De Ridder, cocksure as ever, thought he had it in the bag.
But Malykhin had other plans. In less than five minutes, he sent de Ridder crashing to the ground with a flurry of punches. A first-round knockout that left de Ridder stunned.
In hindsight, de Ridder admits he was at fault. “I kinda underestimated him,” he confessed to MMA Fighting. He’d been on a winning streak, fights going his way with ease. He’d never been hit hard, never felt the sting of defeat. He thought he’d just take Malykhin down, choke him out.
But that wasn’t how it went down. After recovering, de Ridder took a hard look at his shortcomings. Made a list, started checking them off.
Jon Jones, the reigning UFC heavyweight champ, had a similar experience. He underestimated Alexander Gustafsson in 2013, a mistake he never repeated.
De Ridder sees parallels between his journey and Jones’. He wishes he didn’t have to lose to learn his lesson. Now, he’s got a rematch with Malykhin at ONE 166. He’s determined to turn things around.
“That’s definitely the thing I’ve taken away from this,” de Ridder said. He’s been grinding, preparing for the rematch. He’s ready to make it a good thing. “It’s s*** right now, but when I finish him, then it will all be good,” he said.
If de Ridder wins on Friday, he’ll even up the score with Malykhin. This could lead to a trilogy fight. Malykhin already holds the ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. But de Ridder isn’t thinking about that yet.
He’s been waiting for this rematch for over a year. He’s obsessed with getting his revenge. After this, he hopes to move past Malykhin.
“I don’t even want to hear the name Malykhin after this,” de Ridder said, laughing. He’s ready for new challenges. “I need some fresh blood. Someone else after this one.”
That’s his plan for March 1. Beat Malykhin and then never hear his name again.