[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] is eager to build upon his UFC debut performance by taking out Kevin Holland.
On the fist numbered event of the year, de Ridder (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets Holland (26-12 MMA, 13-9 MMA) in a middleweight bout on the main card of UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.
De Ridder, a former multi-division champion under the ONE Championship banner, debuted in the UFC in November against Gerald Meerschaert. It was a successful introduction, as he finished the fight in the third round with a triangle choke. Meerschaert provided more resistance than some expected, including de Ridder, but he credits that to adjusting to the new environment and the level of respect he had for his opponent.
“At the end of the day, a fight is a fight, of course, and I’ve been in plenty of fights, so I know how to take care of that part of the deal,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie Radio. “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, of course. I like Gerald a lot; I respected Gerald a lot coming into this one, so I didn’t go as full throttle from the bat as I will this fight. I’m just coming in to wreck this guy this time.”
Holland wasn’t the first name offered to de Ridder, but he’s pleased with the way things have turned out ahead of his first fight of 2025.
“I’m very happy with the fight, of course,” de Ridder said. “Kevin is a name, and it’s a quick turnaround, so I’m very happy about that. But they gave me another name that I liked a lot for December, which I accepted, but the other side did not. … I think in the future the fight will come to fruition anyway, so it’s going to happen.”
De Ridder would not reveal who turned down the fight offer for December out of respect for the potential opponent, and he seems pretty confident that fight will happen in the near future. He is excited to mix it up with Holland at UFC 311, though, perform in front of a large crowd from the first time in his promotional tenure.
De Ridder plans on keeping the judges out of this fight against Holland, as he has done for his past six consecutive fights.
“He’s very wild on the feet,” de Ridder said. “But I’m going to put a lot of pressure on him, hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out, hopefully.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
