Here's one thing you can say about Ridder Reinier: the man is honest.
It is true that he assesses the skills of other fighters or his own. For example, he raised a few eyebrows when he suggested that he and his average compatriot Bo Nickal, which Ridder faces during the UFC fighting night event, should go there and go directly to the game because nobody wants to watch two grapplers try to strike.
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“Let's be real,” said Ridder to without a crown this week. “We are both so elite on this subject, both so good for grappling. Of course, I have put work in my strike for 10 years, and, of course, I like to show it. But I will never be Israel Adesanya. Let's be honest, I will never show us as refined as that.
The Dutch average weight is also frank on what he thought when the UFC offered him this fight against Nickal, a very decorated university struggle which is undefeated in his career as a seven fights in MMA.
So far, in the UFC, Nickal's opponents have seemed to be a series of hand -selected victims. Only his last opponent, Paul Craig, had a name recognition among the fans, and he participated in the fight with Nickal after losing four of his previous five outings.
Before that, Nickal obtained the distinction of being the biggest favorite in the bets in the history of the UFC when it was, for a certain time, a 25-1 favorite against Val Woodburn at the UFC 290, according to at least one sportsbook.
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In other words, the UFC seemed to offer him favorable clashes that Nickal could easily win. This is why Ridder was surprised when the UFC called him for a co-event committee with Nickal to monks, Iowa. De Ridder is, after all, a former holder with two divisions in a championship. He also has three times more professional MMA fights than Nickal.
“I did not expect it to be honest,” said Ridder. “I did not expect it, and I was surprised that everything materializes. Do not try to act too arrogant, but I was surprised that the two parties agree, just because of this. He has really had fights that have been made to measure so far.
Nickal is currently a favorite -325, according to BetmgmBut that always makes it the closest fight – at least according to the odds – that he has since started his professional career in 2022.
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Meanwhile, the time to ridder in the UFC was brief but memorable. Hardcore fans have followed his career through promotions abroad, but he was a new face for many UFC audiences to an audience when he made his debut in November. And although he finally submitted Gerald Meerschaert with a triangle strangulation in the third round, Ridder sometimes looked trembling in the fight.
By looking back, De Ridder attributes this to a few different factors, one of which is the well -documented phenomenon known as the UFC contradiction. No matter how many times you have fought elsewhere, there is just something different to do it in the octagon for the first time.
“Each fighter that starts in this sport wants to be in the UFC,” said Ridder. “After all that I experienced in a championship, it was very important for me to finally go to the UFC. … So it was a little nerves, but it was also difficult to set up training. And I knew (Meerschaert) quite good before, we trained together at (Gymnasium based in Florida) Kill Cliff.
“It was just a lot. And I'm not saying it was a bad fight. I spilled it in the first, I smothered it in the third, but it was not my best.”
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This performance may have led some fans to raft of ridder as a more fighter who looked super outside the UFC but who was probably outclasssed. He managed to put some of these doubts to rest during his second outing, a dominant submission in the first round of Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in January.
“Coming in this fight, I wanted to take stock,” said Ridder. “I wanted to show that I can do this quickly. And I was able to do it. “
But against Nickal, he faces a much more difficult test and a very different stylistic match. As good as DE RIDDER's submission game may be, the force of wrestlers like Nickal is their ability to decide when and how the fight strikes the carpet. At least, this is how it generally works in MMA.
But while De Ridder would prefer to enter the grapple directly and not waste fans with a striking display between two non -attackers, he is not ready to concede any aspect of the fight for Nickal either – no matter what man has accomplished by wearing a nylon singlet.
“I'm going to drop it,” said Ridder. “Why not? I have been bringing people down for so long. I understand that people call me a jiu-jitsu guy, but it's still disassembly. … Bo, I think he is building a good base, a good game, but it's just not there. I'm going to show it.”
