UFC signs former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder
Reinier de Ridder has inked a deal with the UFC, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting. The signing became public Tuesday following a tweet from the Roster Tracker account.
The company has yet to set a date and opponent for “The Dutch Knight’s” octagon debut.
De Ridder (17-2) made short work of Magomedmurad Khasaev this past July in his most recent bout, a first-round knockout under the UAE Warriors banner. That was de Ridder’s first appearance since parting ways with ONE Championship earlier this year, ending his run in the Asian-based promotion with a record of 7-2.
The jiu-jitsu black belt won nine straight between 2013 and 2018 to earn a deal with the ONE, and needed three victories in a row to earn his first shot at a title there.
De Ridder defeated then-two-division king Aung La N Sang twice to steal both his titles, going on to win his next two fights before losing both belts in consecutive matches against Anatoly Malykhin.
MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this story.