Reinier De Ridder releases statement about his loss to Anatoly Malykhin

Reinier de Ridder has finally spoken up. "The Dutch Knight" has emerged on social media over two weeks after suffering the lone blemish of his professional MMA career, losing his ONE Light Heavyweight World Title against interim heavyweight king Anatoly Malykhin at ONE on Prime Video 5.

De Ridder, who still holds the ONE Middleweight World Title, documented his homecoming to his native Netherlands, spending time with his family, and instructing BJJ sessions at Combat Brothers Gym in an Instagram video.

He talked about his loss in the caption of the video.

“Let me get some thoughts out here. This fight did not happen as I imagined. This is the risk I take every time I step into the cage and I have my reasons to accept that risk, mostly because I want to do something special with my life. I don’t need to fight to take care of my family, but I do and it can be tough on them. I’m grateful for all the support I get from my loved ones and all of you out there. I’m happy to be back home,” De Ridder said.

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De Ridder faced Malykhin earlier this month in a main event showdown between unbeaten World Champions at ONE on Prime Video 5.

Finally, the Russian giant stuffed the taller Dutchman's takedown attempts and knocked him out in the last seconds of the first stanza.

Despite the fact that "The Dutch Knight" is no longer a two-division ONE World Champion, he still owns the middleweight belt and a sparkling 16-1 record. Rather than wallow in loss, he intends to use this experience to urge him forward.

“After all this, I would only be ashamed if I would not use it to become a better man. Maybe this is what I needed to take the next step in my evolution. We’re analyzing the fight and everything else. I’ll use this to reach a new level. The only way to move on is by doing what I do best: continuous hard work,” De Ridder said.

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What should be next for De Ridder? Let us know in the comments below.

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