I intend to avenge that loss: Reinier De Ridder wants rematch with Malykhin

02 March 2023

Reinier De Ridder suffered the first defeat of his career when he was knocked out by Anatoly Malykhin back in December 2022.

He entered the Circle as the promotion's middleweight and light heavyweight MMA champion, and he was facing off against the Russian, who was also the interim heavyweight champion, to defend the championship in the latter weight class.

The Dutchman had a terrible night because he was unable to use his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu on the ground, where he could have used it most successfully. Instead, he was pummeled on the feet and eventually knocked out in the first round.

“I got caught, man. I [expletive] up. That’s what happened. After one of the first punches I got hit with, I just wasn’t myself. I made a few mistakes entering into the pocket and just came up short. Got hit, got hurt, and that’s what it is. His footwork was very good, his in-and-out work was very good. He threw very straight, strong, sharp, fast punches. He really developed a lot,” De Ridder opened up in his recent interview with SCMP MMA.

Despite the setback, De Ridder is looking forward to avenge the loss and has plans to continue his journey to become the best in the world.

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“All in all, what I’ve taken from it is, I can be a little b**** and whine about it for the next couple of years, or I can set things straight, learn from this, grow. I intend to be the best fighter in the world, still, and I intend to avenge that loss,” he added in the interview.

What do you think of a rematch between Reinier De Ridder and Anatoly Malykhin? Let us know in the comment section below.