The mixed martial arts world will be watching closely when Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder defends his ONE Light Heavyweight World Title against interim heavyweight king Anatoly “Sladkiy” Malykhin in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday, 3 December. 

Predictions have been split evenly in the lead-up to the highly anticipated bout, with some throwing their support behind the defending two-division World Champion and others giving the win to the hulking challenger. ONE Championship’s stars, it would seem, are just as unsure about who will leave the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, as the victor.

A few fellow ONE fighters foresee Reiner De Ridder defending his belt successfully

According to heavyweight powerhouse Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, De Ridder will score the win and retain his belt. “RDR wins. He is a great black belt and has a really efficient game for MMA. I think this fight will go to the ground, and we’ve never really seen Anatoly’s grappling game,” Almeida said.

Top-ranked strawweight contender Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks shares a similar view. The American upstart, who will attempt to gain World Title glory in the main event of ONE 164 just a day later, thinks De Ridder’s grappling will prove to be the deciding factor. 

READ MORE – 3 Reasons Why Anatoly Malykhin Can Claim the ONE Heavyweight World Championship Defeating Reinier De Ridder at ONE on Prime Video 5

“De Ridder will be too overwhelming and will submit Malykhin in the third round,” he said ahead of his scheduled five-round war with strawweight king Joshua Pacio. 

Other ONE fighters chose Anatoly Malykhin as their expected victor

The plain truth, however, is that De Ridder might have to leave himself exposed to Malykhin’s loaded fists before he can charge in with a takedown.

And when that unfolds, former ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian” The Bandit” Kadestam expects the Russian to show no mercy from close range. “I’m picking Malykhin by TKO in round four. I think he will be able to stop the takedowns and find the opening,” the Swede offered. 

Welterweight star Ağlan “Alligator” Thani, meanwhile, fails to spot a difference between De Ridder and Malykhin’s skillset. But the Malaysian fighter concedes that Malykhin’s power and physical advantage will help him tremendously in his quest to become a two-division World Champion.

READ MORE – “He Doesn’t Bring Anything Really Special to the Table” – Reiner De Ridder Provides an Unbiased Review About the Coveted Striking Power of Anatoly Malykhin

“I think Malykhin can win because he’s just a bigger guy dropping down. There’s not too much of a big difference in weight because usually, he is only at 109 or 110 kilograms. And now, he just dropped to 103, which is a safe drop to maintain his power and wrestling abilities,” the 27-year-old shared.

Don’t forget to tune in to ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday, December 2. Fans with an Amazon Prime membership in U.S. and Canada will be able to watch the thriller in Manila for free.