Reinier de Ridder Signs With UFC After ONE Titles
When the UFC signed former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder in September 2024, the Dutch grappler was taking his championship experience to a new promotion. His planned debut against Gerald Meerschaert is now a piece of history: de Ridder submitted Meerschaert, won four straight UFC bouts, hit a rough patch at middleweight, then moved back to light heavyweight and most recently stopped Roman Dolidze in August 2026, per his UFC profile.
From ONE champion to UFC newcomer
De Ridder arrived with championship credentials at 205 and 225 pounds. In ONE Championship, he beat Aung La N Sang for the middleweight title in 2020, then defeated him again by decision in 2021 to claim the light heavyweight belt as well; ONE documented his two-division title run. His run there later ended with losses to Anatoly Malykhin, including a first-round knockout at 4:35 in their 2022 light heavyweight bout and a 2024 stoppage in the middleweight title rematch, as ONE reported.
A fast start in the UFC
The UFC announced de Ridder’s signing in September 2024 and scheduled his debut against veteran submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert for November 9. De Ridder won by arm-triangle choke in the third round. He followed with first-round submissions of Kevin Holland and a second-round stoppage of Bo Nickal, then edged former champion Robert Whittaker by split decision in July 2025. That four-fight run quickly moved him into the middleweight contender conversation, according to his official fight history.
A move up, and a fresh start
De Ridder’s momentum slowed with fourth-round losses to Brendan Allen in October 2025 and Caio Borralho in March 2026. After those back-to-back defeats at middleweight, he returned to light heavyweight—the division where he had won ONE gold. On August 22, 2026, he stopped Roman Dolidze with strikes at 4:01 of the opening round. The UFC’s Sacramento results confirm it was de Ridder’s first UFC victory at 205 pounds and reset the immediate conversation around his career.
What the signing has delivered
De Ridder’s UFC story has included an impressive four-win introduction, a difficult middleweight stretch and a successful move back up in weight. His record illustrates both the value and limits of a decorated résumé: past titles opened the door, but each new division has required him to prove himself again in the Octagon.
