MMA Knockout

Ex-ONE Double-Champ Wins Gruelling UFC Debut, Defeats Unranked Opponent

Reiner de Ridder makes a successful debut at UFC Vegas 100.

Mathew Riddle

ONE Championship

Reiner de Ridder has made a successful UFC debut by submitting Gerald Meerschaert in their three-round co-main event at UFC Vegas on November 9.

'RDR,' a former ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion, signed with the UFC this past summer after bouncing back from his losses to Anatoly Malykhin with a knockout victory in the UAE.

In his debut at UFC Vegas 100, de Ridder faced Meerschaert, a veteran submission specialist who proved to be a challenging stylistic matchup for 'The Dutch Knight.' The two middleweights exchanged momentum across three rounds, with de Ridder scoring a knockdown in the first and ultimately securing an arm-triangle choke in the third.

It was a hard-fought win for de Ridder, who was expected to dominate Meerschaert, an unranked middleweight with a 3-2 record in his last five fights. De Ridder appeared vulnerable and stiff on the feet, facing some dicey moments as he defended against submissions on the ground.

Despite the challenging debut, de Ridder emphasized that he’d be ready for a short-notice fight at UFC 309 on November 15 if the UFC allows it. Though, in a division with killers like Khamzat Chimaev, it's hard to see 'RDR' going far without major adjustments.

What did you think of de Ridder's debut?

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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