LAS VEGAS- Steer clear of a specific Asian promotion.
Former ONE Championship two-division champion Reinier de Ridder scored an enormous win in his Final Preventing Championship (UFC) debut at UFC Vegas 100 final evening (Sat., Nov. 9, 2024) as he submitted Gerald Meerschaert within the third spherical after a wildly sloppy battle from contained in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (watch highlights).
Previous to being one of many largest free brokers in blended martial arts (MMA), De Ridder was a dominant champion in ONE Championship, a promotion the place he fought 9 instances from 2019 to 2024. Now that he’s now not with ONE Championship, he’s warning different fighters to avoid the Asia-based battle promotion.
“It’s been a nasty couple of years,” De Ridder advised the media through the UFC Vegas 100 post-fight press convention (watch right here). “The stress I’ve been put by, the stress my household was put by – even to get fights. It hasn’t been good. It’s onerous for me to speak unhealthy as a result of I had a few good years in ONE as nicely. At first, they handled me nicely, however over the previous couple of years, it’s been actually unhealthy. That is one thing I really feel I’ve to do for different fighters: For those who consider signing with ONE Championship – don’t. It’s that easy. You shouldn’t. There may be nothing there. There isn’t any fights. You’re simply flawed for those who do it. For those who signal there, it’s a unhealthy mistake.”
At first look, it might seem to be De Ridder may be salty, however he’s not flawed. A number of MMA fighters are caught of their ONE Championship contracts and aren’t being provided fights. These days, it looks as if ONE Championship is extra of a Muay Thai promotion that options some MMA fights than a MMA promotion.
Adriano Moraes, a former two-time champion, didn’t battle for 18 months after dropping to Demetrious Johnson as a result of the promotion merely didn’t ebook him.
De Ridder is just not the one athlete to inform fighters to not signal with ONE Championship. One other former champion, Bibiano Fernandes, warned fighters to remain away after his contract expired.
Former UFC fighter Sage Northcutt was just lately reduce from ONE Championship. Whereas he’s too good to trash his former promotion, he absolutely has some unhealthy tales, too.
For full UFC Vegas 100 outcomes, protection, and highlights click on HERE.
