The UFC has become adept at signing some of the top veteran talent from other promotions, and that trend continued on Tuesday, September 24, when news spread. The promotion inked a deal with former ONE Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight champion Reinier de Ridder.
UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the signing during the post-event presser following the Contender Series on Tuesday, and White deferred to UFC matchmaker, Mick Maynard, which usually means the information is true.
De Ridder, 34, held both titles simultaneously, and he comes to the UFC with a 17-2 record. Both of his losses came to bruising Russian Anatoly Malykhin. The native of the Netherlands competed for UAE most recently, scoring a victory over Magomedmurad Khasaev via first-round KO in July.
It is unclear whether the UFC envisions de Ridder as a light heavyweight or heavyweight competitor. Standing 6-foot-4, de Ridder seems best suited for light heavyweight. As recently as 2018, de Ridder fought at middleweight; thus, it is unlikely he has the frame to compete against the bigger heavyweights in the UFC.
At his best, de Ridder is a mauler with a smothering wrestling attack and heavy hands. Unlike some fighters with a wrestle-heavy style, de Ridder chases the finish in his fights.
He brings an 89% finish rate to the UFC, and 71% of his finishes have come by submission.
- Win against Magomedmurad Khasaev by TKO on July 27, 2024 (UAE Warriors 51)
- Loss to Anatoly Malykhin by Retirement on March 1, 2024 (ONE Championship)
- Loss to Anatoly Malykhin by KO/TKO on December 2, 2022 (ONE Championship)
- Win against Vitaly Bigdash by submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) on July 22, 2022 (ONE Championship)
- Win against Kiamrian Abbasov by submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) on February 25, 2022 (ONE Championship)
The way he is matched in his first fight will tell a lot about how the UFC sees de Ridder’s potential. If he’s given an unranked opponent, it’ll be clear the promotion isn’t looking at him too highly at first.
That could change with some dominant performances.
If the UFC hands de Ridder an unranked opponent to start, fighters like Modestas Bukauskas, Oumar Sy, and Zhang Miyang seem like potential fits. If de Ridder gets a more prominent name to start his UFC career, fighters like Alonzo Menifield or Johnny Walker make sense.
If de Ridder fights at middleweight, which might be a stretch for him at this stage of his career, I saw one suggestion: he faces Brazilian grappler Rodolfo Vieira. I highly doubt the UFC would intentionally set de Ridder up with another fighter who has a heavy grappling style–at least not at first.
At this point, de Ridder may not be a potential title contender in any division. Still, his championship pedigree from other promotions potentially adds density to the roster–no matter what weight class he lands.
Because de Ridder is in his mid-30s, the UFC is unlikely to waste too much time discovering what they have in him. That’s why I suspect he’ll be thrown into the deep water early–a la Michael “Venom” Page after he left Bellator for the UFC earlier this year.
Seeing de Ridder land on the UFC 310 prelims or early on the main card wouldn’t surprise me. Stay tuned.
