“It kind of got stuck” - Reinier de Ridder regrets not changing his game plan against Anatoly Malykin in world title loss

Reinier de Ridder always thought his offensive approach was second to none until he stood face-to-face with Anatoly Malykhin.

The Dutch superstar was then a perfect 16-0 when he put the ONE light heavyweight MMA world title on the line against Malykhin in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 5.

With a singular goal in mind, de Ridder approached Malykhin with the intent of putting the Russian monster down and submitting him.

Malykhin, however, squashed those plans and planted de Ridder’s face on the canvas to capture his first undisputed world title in ONE Championship.

More than a year after his defeat, de Ridder expressed his regret for not shifting on his game plan.

Reinier de Ridder told ONE Championship in an interview:

“It was always like that. There’s a guy in front of me, I walk towards him, I take him down, I choke him out, basically. In my head, it kind of got stuck that this is how fights go, and I could do this to anybody in the world – until I couldn’t.”

De Ridder didn’t have much of a reason to change his approach, though, since he built a perfect record and captured two world titles with his grappling-heavy offense.

Nevertheless, ‘The Dutch Knight’ learned his lesson and is hellbent on enacting revenge against Malykhin.

De Ridder will again face Malykhin in a world title match, but this time it’s for the defense of his ONE middleweight MMA world championship at ONE 166: Qatar.

Malykhin, the ONE light heavyweight and heavyweight MMA world champion, attempts to make history in the card's main event on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena.

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Anatoly Malykhin claims Reinier de Ridder has nightmares about him

While Reinier de Ridder attempts to stop Anatoly Malykhin’s unstoppable march, the Russian juggernaut is determined to make history in Qatar.

There has never been a three-division world champion in ONE Championship, but Malykhin believes he has what it takes to capture that historic achievement.

Malykhin told the South China Morning Post that de Ridder has nightmares about him and their first fight back in December 2022.

“I wish him a really good sleep at night because I'm pretty sure he has nightmares about me. I'm pretty sure he sees me knocking him out every day, over and over again, so I wish him a really good rest, and I wish he could sleep better.”

Watch Malykhin's entire interview below: