Former Two-Division ONE Champ Reinier de Ridder Signs With UFC

One of the most decorated ONE Championship MMA fighters in recent years will soon make his UFC debut.

Reinier de Ridder has reportedly inked a UFC contract, per Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

“The Dutch Knight” is making the major move in his career following a multi-year title run in ONE Championship, reaching the top of the promotion’s light heavyweight division.

De Ridder first captured ONE’s 205-pound title in late 2020, scoring a first-round stoppage win over long-time champ Aung La N Sang. The two met in a rematch in 2021 with ONE’s 225-pound belt on the line, de Ridder also prevailing in that instance as well.

The 34-year-old, who is one of five simultaneous two-division MMA champs to exist in ONE’s history, defended his 205-pound weight class title two more times in 2022, scoring submission wins over Kiamrian Abbasov and Vitaly Bigdash.

De Ridder’s 16-fight undefeated record came to an end in 2022, marking the beginning of the end for his time in ONE. He dropped his 225-pound title that year to Anatoly Malykhin, who scored a first-round stoppage against him. Malykhin took de Ridder’s second belt earlier this year at ONE 166.

De Ridder departed the ONE Championship roster just recently, earning his first win in over two years with a first-round stoppage of Magomedmurad Khasaev at UAE Warriors 51.

While the UFC has a long history of fighters from the Netherlands, including Alistair Overeem, Gegard Mousasi and Gas Rutten, de Ridder is now only the third active member of the promotion’s roster to represent the country. He now flies the country’s tricolor flag alongside featherweight Jarno Errens and former champ Germaine de Randamie.