Reinier De Ridder open to grappling match with Gordan Ryan

Reinier de Ridder has been ticking a lot of boxes on his to-do list over the past few years.

The reigning One Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion hopes to check off another big one this weekend – and then step up to more tough challenges in the future.

On Saturday, 26 March, “The Dutch Knight” will take a break from MMA and battle BJJ icon Andre Galvao in a submission grappling contest at One X.

After he defeated welterweight king Kiamrian Abbasov via arm-triangle choke at One: Full Circle in February, De Ridder called out the Brazilian for a matchup at the promotion's 10-year anniversary card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“In three weeks at ONE X, Andre Galvao, let’s find out who the best grappler is around these parts. Let’s go, man. I’ll choke you out!” the 31-year-old said in his post-fight interview.

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If he emerges victorious, De Ridder would be open to facing another BJJ legend in submission grappling, including a potential showdown with Renzo Gracie black belt Gordon Ryan.

“Gordon is just great everywhere. His technique is very crisp. He’s a great fighter, very strong. He does very well on grappling. Yeah, man, but why not in the future?” the Combat Brothers athlete said.

The idea of adding more MMA belts is also tantalizing for the Dutchman, who stayed undefeated in the sport with his victory over Abbasov.

“I beat the welterweight champ, beat the middleweight champ, beat the light heavyweight champ. As I said, what's next? Maybe heavyweight?” he added.

The De Ridder-Galvao battle is part of ONE X: Part 1, streaming live this Saturday.

Watch ONE X: Part I live on Star Sports Select 2 or Disney+ Hotstar at 10:30 a.m. IST. You can also catch ONE X: Part II live on Star Sports Select 2 or Disney+ Hotstar at 2:30 p.m. India Standard Time (IST) on 26 March. Fans can also watch the live ONE X: Grand Finale pay-per-view event on watch.onefc.com

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