Reinier de Ridder has been patiently waiting for his time to join the UFC roster. Now that it’s here, he intends to make the most of it.
Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) recently signed a contract with the UFC and is set to make his debut against Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 247 on Nov. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He said the signing was a product of a plan put in place by his team at Dominance MMA, with manager Ali Abdelaziz being an “instrumental” part of the process.
De Ridder admits he can only say so much about how the move came to be. His final fight with ONE Championship was in March, and afterward he signed a one-fight deal with UAE Warriors, which ONE Championship claimed was a breach of contract. De Ridder fought and won the fight in July by first-round TKO, and now here he is.
“I don’t think I can tell you guys everything right now,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “A lot of stuff happened. Thankfully everything fell into place. We had a plan, and it all worked out basically. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me at the time I spent with ONE. I’ve had amazing opportunities with them, and it was very good for a long time. And it hasn’t been so good for a little while, as well. Maybe one day I’ll talk a little bit more about it, but for now I’ll keep my cards close to my chest.”
Less is more?
De Ridder admitted there were other organizations in play with bigger bids for his services, but ultimately he followed his stronger desire to fight for the UFC.
“I’ve always taken it one step at a time, but UFC has always been in the back of my mind,” de Ridder said. “Like every fighter, I’m not that special in this regard. It’s to like that. They can offer you twice the money somewhere else, but everyone still wants to come to the UFC. We’re all just dummies, to be honest. The plan was to get a fight at UAE, get it done quick as it worked out thankfully, then get the ball rolling and sign with UFC. And I’m very happy this fight got offered to me right away.”
For de Ridder, the stability and activity promised under the UFC banner was a significant part of his decision process. As far as the weight class? The former ONE Championship light heavyweight and middleweight titleholder felt the 185-pound division was the best place for him.
“I’m basically like 210 walking around eating my normal diet and training normally,” de Ridder said. “It would be a very small cut to go to light heavyweight. To go to middleweight is a harder cut, but if I diet for a couple of weeks and do a good weight cut, it will be doable. Middleweight it is. Maybe down the line some light heavyweight action, as well. We’ll see how it all goes.”
Familiar first foe
De Ridder will get a familiar foe in Meerschaert, who has the most finishes and submission wins in UFC middleweight history. The pair have trained together in the past at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida, and de Ridder said he’s not shook by Meerschaert’s signature durability and routine ability to mount comebacks in his fights.
“He’s a good guy,” de Ridder said. “I met him in (South Florida). He teaches jiu-jitsu class in Henri Hooft’s gym. I was actually planning on spending some time there working my camp for my debut, but that didn’t work out, of course. I don’t think they’ll have me right now. I sent Henri a message that I’ll come out next time. They offered me this. I said yes right away. Very happy with the matchup. I don’t know what’s next but hopefully they have an event shortly after and I can get another one. Who knows?
“I’m always looking for the finish. So it will be take him down and try to choke him out. That’s normally the game plan, so I don’t think I’ll change that too much. But he can really take a punch, and he’s always dangerous. He has a mean left hook. It might look a little bit sloppy sometimes, it might look a bit awkward sometimes, but he’s very effective with what he does. We’ve had some fun sessions there in Miami.”
Ready for the top
De Ridder, 34, said he has no time to waste now that he’s in the UFC. He was hoping for a top-10 opponent right off the bat but thinks Meerschaert will be the perfect bridge to put him on that path for the next fight.
It’s been de Ridder’s dream to mix it up with the likes of Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, and more of the marquee names in the UFC middleweight division. Now he’s ready to prove his worth.
“(I’m ready for those guys) right now. Let’s go,” de Ridder said. “I’m ready. That’s what I’m here for. It would be so cool to finally get a shot at those guys. They’ve been around for so long. I’ve been around for a little while now, as well, so it would be very cool to finally get a chance to fight those guys.
“Adesanya, Dricus, Strickland – all of them. Why not? (I get to fight them now) instead of always looking in.”
