A few years ago, Reinier “The Dutch Knight” de Ridder had then-ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera in his crosshairs.
Even though the fight never came to fruition – and De Ridder went on to become a two-division ONE World Champion – Vera’s still interested in the bout, as long as it’s not at light heavyweight.
“I am never cutting weight again,” Vera said with a laugh, “but De Ridder, you’re more than welcome to meet me at whatever weight I’m at. I would absolutely love to go with De Ridder, but me cutting weight again? No.”
While that clash is certainly interesting, De Ridder will have to worry about other things first, as he’s slated to defend his ONE Middleweight World Title against Vitaly Bigdash in the main event of ONE 159 on Friday, July 22, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
De Ridder has been absolutely unstoppable in The Home of Martial Arts, winning all of his six bouts in the promotion including back-to-back victories over former two-division ONE World Champion Aung La N Sang.
Bigdash, on the other hand, has clawed his way back into contendership, winning three straight matches in impressive fashion.
The Russian also used Aung La N Sang as a springboard to this matchup, as he ended his trilogy with the Burmese star on top to set up this clash of middleweights.
For Vera, there are two scenarios that could happen in this fight.
“I see this as if De Ridder stands up with Bigdash, Bigdash is gonna knock him out,” Vera said.
“But if De Ridder plays it smart like he has been, he’s going to take it to the ground and finish Bigdash there.”
Read More From ONE Championship:
‘He’s Predictable’ – Reinier De Ridder Expects To Dominate World Title Challenger Vitaly Bigdash
‘He’s A Disrespectful Guy’ – John Lineker Would Love To ‘Educate’ Fabricio Andrade
‘In A Heartbeat’ – Aung La N Sang Would Love To Fight Reinier De Ridder, Vitaly Bigdash Again