REPORT | Former ONE champion Reinier de Ridder signs with UFC

Former two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder has reportedly inked a multi-fight contract with the UFC after a brief free agency.

X account UFC Roster Tracker was the first to report the news of De Ridder’s addition to the UFC roster. MMA Junkie confirmed the signing with an anonymous source close to De Ridder and his team.

De Ridder earned titles at middleweight and light heavyweight during his ONE tenure. After a rocky contract dispute with the promotion, he was granted his release earlier this year, fighting at UAE Warriors 51.

De Ridder defeated Magomedmurad Khasaev by first-round TKO to get back in the win column. Before the knockout win, he suffered back-to-back title losses to Anatoly Malykhin in 2022 and 2024.

Reinier de Ridder adds versatility to the UFC roster

✅ Fighter added: Reinier de Ridder

— UFC Roster Tracker (@RosterTracker) September 24, 2024

De Ridder joins the UFC arguably still in the physical prime of his combat sports career. At 34 years old, he could fight at either middleweight or light heavyweight for his promotional debut.

The UFC is always looking to build its light heavyweight roster, which is one of the smallest divisions in the promotion. De Ridder could potentially get a quick path to a Top 15 spot, depending on how his UFC tenure begins.

De Ridder could potentially make his UFC debut by the end of 2024, potentially on the year’s final pay-per-view in December. As of this writing, the UFC hasn’t booked nor announced De Ridder’s debut.

De Ridder became the third double champion in ONE history by defeating Aung La Nsang in April 2021. He successfully defended the ONE middleweight title twice and failed to successfully defend the light heavyweight belt during his reign.

De Ridder is the latest big-name ONE star to make the move to the UFC Octagon. In 2018, the UFC traded Demetrious Johnson for ONE’s Ben Askren, marking the first major trade in mixed martial arts history.