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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Bohn

For new UFC signee Reinier de Ridder, a chance to fight top middleweights mattered more than money

De Ridder UFC Reinier de Ridder ONE ONE Championship Gerald Meerschaert Dricus du Plessis Israel Adesanya Sean Strickland

Reinier de Ridder has been patiently waiting for his time to join the UFC roster. Now that it’s here, he intends to make the most of it.

Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) recently signed a contract with the UFC and is set to make his debut against Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 247 on Nov. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He said the signing was a product of a plan put in place by his team at Dominance MMA, with manager Ali Abdelaziz being an “instrumental” part of the process.

De Ridder admits he can only say so much about how the move came to be. His final fight with ONE Championship was in March, and afterward he signed a one-fight deal with UAE Warriors, which ONE Championship claimed was a breach of contract. De Ridder fought and won the fight in July by first-round TKO, and now here he is.

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