Reinier de Ridder outlasts tough opponent in split decision

Fight nighttime successful Abu Dhabi brought a large combat betwixt 2 experienced fighters. One is simply a erstwhile UFC champion, portion the different has large occurrence successful the ONE organization. The lucifer was held arsenic portion of the UFC connected ABC 9 event, and the assemblage had the accidental to ticker a existent clash of antithetic styles.

A hard infinitesimal for the 33-year-old Australian

The experienced combatant from Australia recovered himself successful an unpleasant concern – for the archetypal clip since helium started competing successful the middleweight category, helium suffered 2 defeats successful a row. Last twelvemonth helium was defeated by Khamzat Chimaev, and present helium mislaid to Reinier de Ridder by a divided decision.

The combat was afloat of tactical elements. Although the Australian managed to deed his hostile good successful the 3rd circular and shingle him up, helium did not instrumentality vantage of that chance. The Dutchman showed toughness, kept to the program and tactically neutralized the bushed of his opponent. The judges mostly gave the combat to De Ridder (48-47), though 1 ballot went successful favour of the erstwhile champion.

Emotions

After the match, the 33-year-old did not fell his emotions:

"Honestly, I'm beauteous hurt. He did what helium said helium would do. I thought I had everything successful place, but his unit was huge. He has a circumstantial warring style. It was hard for maine to disrupt his plan. He managed to enforce his crippled much than I did mine. The triumph belongs to him, bully luck to him."

This is lone the 2nd clip successful his vocation that helium has mislaid 2 fights successful a row. The archetypal clip it happened was backmost successful 2014. Now, 10 years later, the question is whether the UFC volition springiness him different accidental to beryllium himself against idiosyncratic from the top.

On the different hand, the combatant from the Netherlands sent a wide connection - helium wants to onslaught the rubric and has shown that helium is acceptable for large names.