Introduction
Saturday, June 15th, Dutch middleweight prospect Reinier de Ridder will be in action for One Championship, where he will be looking to score his 11th pro win against Gilberto Galvao. He will be looking to score yet another win, as de Ridder looks to potentially earn a potential title shot. He represents Combat Brothers, a little known camps in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappling: De Ridder doesn’t hide it; he is looking to get the fight to the ground quickly. His offensive wrestling capabilities could use a little bit of work because he doesn’t set up his takedowns superiorly and tends to shoot from long range, which is tough and easy to scout. That said, he does get guys down because of his tenacity. When he does get opponents down, he gets to work quickly. He easily moves through the defensive capabilities of his opponents and gets to a spot where he can look for a finish. From there, he finds submission opportunities and goes for them. He’s tall and long, so he is able to leverage chokes with much torque and score the finish. He doesn’t look to the judges for his wins; he takes them within the allotted time.
Finisher: Not only is de Ridder an efficient finisher, but he’s very quick at getting the job done. Most of his wins come in the first round because he is aggressive and looks to put opponents away quickly. Even when he goes past the first round, which is rare, he finishes guys within the first minute of the second or third round, showing he’s quick to come out of the box in any round. He’s always on the hunt for a finish, which is good for grabbing attention and fan admiration.
Needs Improvement
Competition Level: The Dutchman is in fact 10-0, but the fact of the matter is that it’s tough to truly gauge how good he can be considering he hasn’t fought the highest levels of competition. His most credible opponent to date has been Rong Fan. who was 12-1 at the time, but was also noted for his can crushing abilities. His opponents have gotten better from his early days, but he’s yet to have an opponent that really gives us an insight on where his ceiling is.
Takedown Setups: I have already talked about his takedown shortcomings earlier, so if you forgot, read “Submission Grappling” under “Strengths.”
Outlook
Top Regional MMA Champion: Reinier de Ridder can certainly be a top regional MMA Champion. That doesn’t necessarily mean with One Championship, but at a top-level regional promotion, I think de Ridder could be a champion. I don’t think he’s well-rounded enough to be a major MMA champion. Yes, his ground game is good, but he will struggle to get there against top wrestlers. Yes, his striking is fine, but top-level strikers will work him. However, all that considered, he is good enough to compete with these guys and could develop to be even better than he is, which would make him a very dangerous man.
MMA Intel 