ONE middleweight world champion Reinier de Ridder has long been regarded as one of the best grapplers in MMA, and fans are about to see how well that translates into submission grappling.
“The Dutch Knight” is set to take on 20-year-old American phenom Tye Ruotolo in a submission grappling super-fight as part of the blockbuster “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” on Prime Video card, which emanates from the 1STBANK Center in Colorado on May 5.
This will be a huge test for de Ridder, but he has frequently aced them. Here are three reasons why he can beat Ruotolo and make a successful transition into submission grappling.
1. He is a genuine black belt
De Ridder is a black belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo, and he is no stranger to grappling competition.
The 32-year-old is a two-time silver medallist at the European BJJ Championships, proving that he can more than hold his own in the sport.
And at ONE X in March 2022, de Ridder looked like he belonged with the sport’s elite, as he grappled fourth-degree black belt and fellow MMA star Andre Galvao to a draw.
2. He is one of the best grapplers in MMA today
De Ridder has a phenomenal submission record under MMA rules. Of his 16 professional mixed martial arts victories, 11 have come via submission.
The Breda native has scarcely been challenged on the ground, and his grappling dominance was on full display in his two bouts against MMA superstar Aung La N Sang. In consecutive bouts, De Ridder wrestled both the middleweight and light heavyweight belts away from “The Burmese Python.”
In the first encounter, de Ridder took Aung La N Sang to the mat with relative ease before stepping over to the back and sinking in the fight-ending rear-naked choke in the first round.
The second match lasted the full 25 minutes, but it was the Dutchman’s grappling that was the clear difference maker once again.
3. He is doing it properly
The switch to submission grappling may not be permanent for de Ridder, but he is certainly taking it seriously.
The middleweight MMA king has enlisted the help of grappling maestros John Danaher and Gordon Ryan in a bid to add some more weapons to his already formidable repertoire.
In a recent interview, de Ridder said, “Gordon and John Danaher have been a great help in that (grappling) area. I thought I knew a couple of tricks, but they’ve really opened the book for me. They’ve really helped me get my game to a new level.
“It’s been very cool to focus on grappling for the last four months. I’ve been grappling twice a day. Normally in an MMA camp, I might grapple four times a week and do four sessions a week. Now, I get that in two days. It’s very cool to see how my game is growing.”
