Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder and Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin head into their main event clash in ONE 166: Qatar powered by different motivations.
ONE middleweight MMA world champion Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder guns for redemption as he defends his strap while ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world champion Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin eyes to make history as they clash in the main event of ONE 166: Qatar at the Lusail Sports Arena on Friday, March 1.
De Ridder will look to banish the ghost of his past demoralizing loss against Malykhin where he surrendered his ONE light heavyweight MMA world title in a first-round knockout loss.
De Ridder took the match on his clean hooks and uppercuts as he was on attack mode from start to finish.
But it will be a different storyline at the end of the battle this time, according to the Dutchman.
"Belts don’t matter anymore. We all have belts, everybody has a belt here in front of you, there’s nothing special,” De Ridder said during the pre-fight press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
"It’s about one thing: He beat me last time, he hurt me. I’ve got a year to prepare for this. I grinded every single day, and I’m ready to showcase my skills this time," he added.
Meanwhile, Malykhin is on the cusp of being the first-ever mixed martial artist to hold three world titles simultaneously in different divisions. And he is vowing a repeat against De Ridder to fulfill this.
“I’m ready for this Friday. I’m going to go and get my third belt. I’m going to knock him out the same way I did before,” Malykhin said.
“I thank God for this opportunity. I thank Chatri [Sityodtong] for everything he has done for me. I cannot explain how excited I am to be here on Friday and show everybody what I have got.”
Malykhin will enter the match brimming with confidence.
Ever since debuting in The Home of Martial Arts in 2021, he has been on an absolute tear, winning all five of his fights by either knockout or technical knockout.
The contrast between both men was obvious during the presser, with De Ridder having a reserved, vindictive energy. Malykhin, however, came in loose and worry-free.
“I’m planning to be a bit [humbler] this time. No predictions this time. I believe I have the skills to finish him, so we’ll have to wait until Friday,” De Ridder said.
Malykhin responded: “Who woke him up the last time? Look at this right hand. This is going to knock him back out to sleep this Friday. Surely, I will knock his head out and make history on Friday.”