Former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder will make his UFC debut against submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 9 in Las Vegas.
Former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder didn’t waste any time booking his octagon debut. He’s set to clash with Gerald Meerschaert in a battle of submission specialists at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 9, taking place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Multiple sources familiar with the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday. This followed an initial report from Eurosport.
The fight booking comes after de Ridder signed with the UFC. For the past five years, he competed in ONE Championships, claiming both the light heavyweight and middleweight titles. However, he lost both belts to current ONE three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin.
After his contract with ONE ended, de Ridder secured a quick TKO win in UAE Warriors before signing with the UFC. Busy guy, right?
With 11 of his 17 wins by submission, de Ridder is renowned for his ground game. He’ll be testing that against Meerschaert, who holds the record for most submission wins in UFC history with 11. Quite a matchup!
Meerschaert enters this fight off two straight wins — both by submission. His latest victory was against Edmen Shahbazyan in August, earning him a Performance of the Night bonus.
The fight between de Ridder and Meerschaert joins a growing lineup on Nov. 9. The main event is still to be determined.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.