Reinier de Ridder, UFC Vegas 100 media day
Reinier de Ridder made his UFC debut in opposition to veteran Gerald Meerschaert within the co-main occasion of UFC Vegas 100.
The Dutch Knight got here in as one of many largest signings when it comes to title worth in current reminiscence as he was a two-division champion in ONE Championship.
Whereas it was unusual to see a signing of this magnitude debut on the Apex, most individuals appreciated the matchup since Meerschaert represented a transparent take a look at to see what de Ridder needed to supply in opposition to UFC opposition.
RDR is called a dominant grappler regardless of coming from a nation that’s extra identified for the kickboxers it produces like Bas Rutten, Alistair Overeem and Germaine de Randamie. With GM3’s forte additionally being within the grappling division, it was going to be fascinating to see how their kinds have been going to conflict. The struggle ended up being a aggressive, high-paced back-and-forth.
Meerschaert was profitable the primary spherical on the toes earlier than de Ridder stole it with a knockdown within the dying seconds. The second spherical was an in depth grappling affair that I believed Meerschaert took in actual time. After we acquired to spherical 3, GM3 seemed to be the extra bored with the 2 and after a visit to take the struggle to the bottom, de Ridder locked up an arm-triangle that pressured the faucet out of the UFC veteran.
RDR had talked about throughout media day that he needed to make a press release. He understood {that a} win right here wasn’t sufficient. The true contenders end Meerschaert and that’s what he needed to do. Whereas he did finally get the end, he needed to work an entire lot extra for it than he might have anticipated. Take into consideration how Khamzat Chimaev and Joe Pyfer took care of GM3 in comparison with RDR. He outlasted Meerschaert and seemingly acquired a submission by way of exhaustion.
The previous ONE double-champ was by no means identified for his placing prowess, however seeing him look that uncomfortable on the toes in opposition to Meerschaert, somebody who is commonly the second finest striker anytime he will get contained in the octagon, was nonetheless a giant purple flag when projecting him in opposition to the higher echelon of the division. Whereas RDR appeared fairly larger than Meerschaert, it didn’t really feel like he was in a position to make use of his measurement to bodily bully him at any time.
At 34-years-old, Reinier de Ridder can’t be taking too lengthy to climb up the middleweight ladder. As a giant title signee who ought to be within the prime years of his profession, will probably be intriguing to see how the UFC matchmakers interpret this win. Are they not satisfied by what they noticed and go for one other GM3-type take a look at? Or do they inform themselves that at 34, it’s sink-or-swim time for RDR and so they throw him a prime 10 opponent subsequent? Both choices can be justifiable as this was a worrisome win, however a win nonetheless.
