Reinier de Ridder has left ONE Championship to join UAE Warriors and will debut against Magomedmurad Khasaev in a light heavyweight bout on July 27 in Abu Dhabi.
Reinier de Ridder is no longer a ONE Championship fighter. He has parted ways with the promotion and joined UAE Warriors, MMA Fighting confirmed Tuesday.
De Ridder will face Magomedmurad Khasaev in a light heavyweight contest. This bout marks his promotional debut on the July 27 show in Abu Dhabi.
De Ridder (16-2) made quite a name for himself in Asia. Between 2019 and 2022, he won seven straight ONE bouts, capturing both the middleweight and light heavyweight belts.
However, he lost both titles to Anatoly Malykhin in his most recent appearances. Quite a fall from grace, huh?
“The Dutch Knight,” who turns 34 in September, holds submission wins over notable fighters like Aung La N Sang, Vitaly Bigdash, and Kiamrian Abbasov.
Khasaev (6-1), on the other hand, has earned all of his MMA victories by knockout. His ONE debut against Arash Mardani in 2023 was particularly impressive.
His lone loss? A submission to one-time ONE title challenger Agilan Thani this past August. Ouch!
UAE Warriors 51 airs live on UFC Fight Pass. The event features Amru Magomedov defending his lightweight title against Ali Kabdulla.
Magomedov is a teammate of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Talk about connections!
The following day, UAE Warriors 52: Arabia 14 takes place in Abu Dhabi. Kevin Oumar vs. Mohamed Juma will headline this event.
Exciting times ahead for MMA fans!