This is my year: Reinier De Ridder preparing for his comeback

It's difficult to take losing the first match of your career in a high-profile World Title contest, but Reinier de Ridder is determined to bounce back stronger.

"The Dutch Knight" was defeated by Anatoly Malykhin in a defence of his ONE Light Heavyweight World Title last December, and he's eager to make amends on May 5 at ONE's historic debut show in the United States.

De Ridder will compete against BJJ superstar Tye Ruotolo that evening at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video in Broomfield, Colorado, in a submission grappling superfight.

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With a 16-1 record in mixed martial arts and the title of current ONE Middleweight World Champion, De Ridder is aware that there are occasional setbacks on the path to success.

Although he was disappointed by his loss to Malykhin, he realises that failures eventually occur in life.

“S*** happens, man. I’ve never lost a fight before. I’ve never really been hurt in training. It was tough, but I was always prepared for this. I know that if you stick around long enough, if you look for the largest challenges – which I do – s*** happens,” he noted in an interview with ONE Championship.

Reinier De Ridder noted that this is going to be his year and he is planning to set things straight for the months to come.

“[Getting back to winning ways] is the most important thing. I got redemption on my mind. I’m fully focused on setting things straight. This is my year, man. I’m setting everything straight. I’m starting with a grappling match and some MMA fights to cap it off,” he said.

The Dutchman also promised a good show for the fans when he steps back into the ONE Circle.

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

What do you think of the quotes from De Ridder? Let us know in the comments below.

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