Before Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder resumes his MMA journey in ONE Championship, he’ll take a brief detour for a submission grappling super-fight against Tye Ruotolo at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video. 

The battle is set to take place when ONE makes it’s North American debut at the 1stBank Center, Broomfield, Colorado, on Friday, May 5, and it will be the Dutchman’s second canvas-based affair under the promotion’s bright lights.

Tye Ruotolo’s reputation won’t cause Reinier De Ridder to back down

After defending the ONE Middleweight World Title against Kiamrian “Brazen” Abbasov at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February last year, the former two-division king took on BJJ powerhouse Andre Galvao in a submission grappling bout at ONE X last March.

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Galvao has been training and mentoring Ruotolo for some time, and though the contest ended in a draw, “The Dutch Knight” believes he learned a lot from it that he can implement in his upcoming clash with the American BJJ phenom. Ruotolo has built a fearsome reputation in his short career, but De Ridder is adamant he won’t back down from engaging when they square off. He said:

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“It’s going to be a very dynamic and a very explosive match. Ten minutes seems like it’s a long time. But for a grappling match, it’s kind of short. The plan is to submit him. So I’m going to be chasing him from the get-go.”

Reinier De Ridder intends to put his physicality to full use

The Combat Brothers representative is a BJJ and judo black belt himself and has already submitted 11 opponents in MMA. So, he has the right to fancy his chances against Ruotolo. He will need to be careful, however. His upcoming foe is known for both his guard game and his ability to take advantage of the slightest openings.

And even if De Ridder decides to play from guard and allow Ruotolo to gain position from top mount, the young dynamo has plenty of ways to lock the MMA middleweight king’s limbs from there.

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But given his physical attributes, the Dutchman is confident he will be one of Ruotolo’s toughest matchups inside the Circle so far. He added, “I have the physical advantage. I am heavier and longer. He might have a bit of technical advantage because he’s a pure grappler. I think it’s going to be a very exciting match.”