Within the tight race to see which prime contender will earn the following middleweight title shot, former ONE Championship double belt-holder Reinier de Ridder is aiming to make himself the following simple man in line.
Reinier de Ridder Confirmed to be Pressure at 185 in UFC
Getting into his second straight UFC most important occasion, Reinier de Ridder takes his expertise to Vancouver for this week’s UFC Battle Night time. Standing reverse of him within the Octagon will likely be middleweight luminary Brendan Allen, who’s driving an excellent win over Marvin Vettori.
Rising to prominence on the world stage throughout his days in ONE, Reinier de Ridder shortly soared his means up the rankings, scoring their middleweight strap in simply his fourth bout within the firm. He then went on to realize additional greatness by toppling Aung La N Sang to realize the sunshine heavyweight throne as effectively to change into the third two-weight class champion in ONE historical past.
Becoming a member of the UFC in late 2024, Reinier de Ridder has virtually instantly cemented his place as one of many middleweight division’s greatest opponents, rattling off 4 consecutive victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal and most not too long ago Robert Whittaker. His conquer the earlier 185-lb gold customary elevated “The Dutch Knight” into the highest 4 of his weight class, only a stone’s throw away from difficult present apex Khamzat Chimaev.
Reinier de Ridder Can Earn Title Alternative, Isn’t Alone in Dialog
Selecting up a detailed however superb unanimous resolution over the aforementioned Whittaker again in July, Reinier de Ridder inched himself ever nearer to the top of the pack in his weight class. Nevertheless, because the summer season progressed, a number of different notable names started to emerge as doubtless choices to battle the dominant Chechen.
Following a first-round knockout to Kevin Holland greater than 5 years in the past, Anthony Hernandez has recorded one of many best win streaks at middleweight at eight in a row with six stoppages. Initially meant to throw down with de Ridder this weekend in Canada, “Fluffy” due to damage.
Dropping a unanimous resolution to future middleweight champion Sean Strickland in 2023, Nassourdine Imavov has launched into a warpath via a few of the division’s best. Stacking up 5 victories over a murders row of combatants like Jared Cannonier, Caio Borralho and Israel Adesanya.
With the championship image turning into increasingly aggressive, Reinier de Ridder might want to make a press release in his upcoming match with Allen. Now that the coveted UFC belt is sort of inside his attain, the Dutch star can solidify his place within the annals of the game ought to he handle to hoist organizational gold above his head.
