Reinier de Ridder, a former two-division champion in ONE Championship, has brought his championship pedigree to the UFC, aiming to replicate his success and capture gold in the world’s premier MMA organization. “The Dutch Knight” held both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight titles during his dominant run in the Asian promotion and now looks to climb the UFC’s middleweight ladder.
Born in Tilburg, Netherlands, on September 7, 1990, de Ridder began his martial arts journey with Judo at age six, eventually earning a black belt as a teenager. This strong grappling foundation is evident in his fighting style, which has translated to an impressive professional record of 20 wins and 2 losses, with 13 of his victories coming by submission.
De Ridder made an immediate impact in his 2024 UFC debut, securing a third-round submission victory over veteran Gerald Meerschaert with a triangle choke. He followed this with an even more impressive performance at UFC 311, submitting Kevin Holland in the first round to improve his promotional record to 2-0 and break into the middleweight rankings.
His next challenge is his most significant to date: a high-stakes clash with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi. Whittaker has indicated he may only have a few fights left in his career, and de Ridder will be aiming to spoil any plans for a final title run.
Reinier de Ridder: By the Numbers
- Height: 6′ 4″ (193 cm)
- Reach: 79 inches
- Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Record: 20-2-0
- Key UFC Stats:
- Significant Strikes Landed per Minute: 3.25
- Significant Striking Accuracy: 61%
- Average Takedowns per 15 minutes: 4.74
- Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes: 1.36
- Social Media: De Ridder is active on Instagram (@deriddermma), where he shares training content with nearly 100,000 followers. His X/Twitter account (@ReinierdeRidder) has been inactive since 2018.
