Reinier de Ridder did not hassle with the stigma surrounding BJJ when he first began.
After a trio of spotlight reel victory over Gerald Meerschart, Kevin Holland and Beau Nikkal, “RDR” will face his hardest take a look at this Saturday when he meets former middleweight champion Robert Whitaker in Abu Dhabi.
De Ridder has pressured 14 enemies to both faucet, nap or snap along with his 20 profession victory, establishing himself as among the finest BJJ practitioners within the sport of as we speak.
“On the age of 16, the remainder turned extra fascinating. Women, events,” De Lidder mentioned in a current interview with former UFC and One World champion Demetris Johnson. I then moved to a brand new metropolis and tried to discover a judo fitness center, however as an alternative went to the jiu-jitsu fitness center. Everybody says that jiu-jitsu is “homosexual”, however as quickly as you see a superb man suffocating you it seems to be extraordinarily highly effective. ”
“I began with Renzo Gracie Health club within the Netherlands, and from there my MMA journey began fairly early.”
Reinier de Ridder can transfer from high 15 to high 5 in a victory over Whittaker
Earlier than making his UFC debut final yr, “RDR” established himself as a horrifying pressure for MMA underneath one championship banner, profitable each one middleweight and a light-weight heavyweight title.
He finally misplaced each belts to Russian Juggernaut Anatoly Malikin earlier than letting go of the promotion.
At present, De Ridder is positioned because the No. thirteenth candidate within the UFC middleweight division. If he can snatch an unlikely victory over Robert Whitaker at Etihad Arina, he’ll surge into the highest 5 and put him in prime place for a shot on the 185-pound crown.
