Reinier de Ridder won’t make his UFC debut against a ranked opponent, but he also isn’t facing a slouch.
News surfaced Tuesday that De Ridder, a former ONE Championship two-division titleholder, signed with the UFC and on Wednesday it was revealed that he will face Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout at a UFC Fight Night event Nov. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after it was initially reported by UFC op Eurosport on Instagram.
De Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 34, previously held the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles. In nine fights with ONE, de Ridder was victorious in his first seven before losing both of his title belts to Anatoly Malykhin in back-to-back fights. The Dutchman most recently competed for UAE Warriors in July and won by first-round TKO to snap his skid.
In Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC), de Ridder will face a savvy UFC veteran who most recently claimed the promotion record for finishes at middleweight. Last month, Meerschaert rallied to submit Edmen Shahbazyan for his 12th career finish at 185 pounds, which surpassed UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. It was Meerschaert’s second submission win in a row.
With the addition, the Nov. 9 UFC Fight Night lineup includes:
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
- Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
- Melissa Mullins vs. Montserrat Rendon
- Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli
- Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios
- Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
- Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
