One of the biggest names on ONE Championship's roster has left the organization and already has his next bout booked.
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Reinier de Ridder joined ONE Championship as an undefeated talent in 2019, and after earning a first-round submission in his debut, “The Dutch Knight” went on to add to his perfect record, winning the promotion's 205-pound title from Aung La N Sang the following year.
De Ridder also won the ONE Championship 265-pound title in his rematch with Nu San and then defended the 205-pound belt twice, but the 33-year-old lost both belts to current triple crown champion Anatoly Malikin when the two faced off in 2022 and March of this year.
The loss to Mullikin marked the first defeat of de Ridder's career, but MMA Fighting reports that the former two-time world champion is set to leave ONE Championship and make his UAE Warriors debut later this month.
“The Dutch Knight” will compete outside of ONE Championship for the first time since 2019 when he takes on Magomedmurad Khasaev at UAE Warriors 51 on July 27 at the Adnec Marina in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The 27-year-old Khasaev will also be making his UAE Warriors debut against de Ridder. “The Tracker” has never competed under the ONE Championship main banner, but he did score a head kick knockout at ONE Friday Fights 16 before suffering his first defeat at ONE Friday Fights 29 in August last year.
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