Reinier De Ridder Has Sights On New ONE Hardware In Next Title Defense

To say that Reinier de Ridder has the proverbial Midas Touch is an overstatement as evidenced by the two coveted world titles draped on his shoulders every time he walks down the aisle to enter the cage.

The 31-year-old undefeated mixed martial artist from the Netherlands will make that ceremonial championship walk again on July 22 as he puts one of his belts on the line.

De Ridder is set to stake his middleweight strap against ex-division kingpin Vitaly Bigdash in the main event of ONE 159, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It will be de Ridder’s second defense of the top prize at 93 kilograms ever since he won it at the expense of arch-nemesis and former champion Aung La N Sang in October 2020.

“The Dutch Knight” laid claim to the “champ-champ” status six months later when he defeated his Burmese rival again in a rematch for the lightweight heavyweight championship.

He then spoiled welterweight titleholder Kiamrian Abbasov’s bid to become the Singapore-based promotion’s latest two-weight class champion this past February courtesy of a third-round submission victory to tighten his grip on the middleweight belt.

If de Ridder will be able to extend his reign of dominance at ONE 159, an intricately-crafted hardware awaits him to commemorate the feat.

Ever since its 10th-anniversary extravaganza dubbed “ONE X” last March, ONE Championship has been awarding a world title with an updated look.

Weighing over 26.4 pounds, the new ONE title design looks very similar to its silver-plated ONE World Grand Prix counterpart but overlaid with gold.

Three golden plates are mounted by hand on a thick natural black leather strap with the words “world champion” etched around the ONE logo in the center, and it is complemented by a crown motif at the top with seven red jewels that represent the organization’s martial arts core values of integrity, humility, honor, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion.

“The belt is not only a stunning piece of art, but it’s a labor of love and design, and ultimately it’s reserved for only the best of the best in the world,” company head honcho Chatri Sityodtong described during the ONE X kick-off press conference four months ago.

“We are retiring our old belt after 10 years. This is the heaviest belt on the entire planet, of any organization,” the promoter added.

Meanwhile, the two secondary plates add eminent value to the handmade masterpiece as it is studded with 42 white gems on each side

De Ridder was one of the few individuals who had the privilege to try it on during the ONE X pre-event festivities.

With the opportunity to add another championship title to his collection, de Ridder seems confident of his chances of walking out triumphant versus the hard-hitting Bigdash.

“[Bigdash] takes his time, picks his shots. There are a lot of single shots on the feet which is smart sometimes. His shots are pretty straight, pretty clean. But he’s predictable, and he gets tired very easily,” he said.

“He’s going to be tired by the end of the first. And he is going to be done by the end of the second.”