The UFC 311 fight card at Inuit Dome is looking pretty stacked thus far.
Two popular middleweights will collide in Southern California.
[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] will meet in a three-round bout Jan. 18 at UFC 311, which takes place at Inuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup Tuesday confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Mania first reported the news.
De Ridder (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his UFC debut Nov. 9 when he submitted Gerald Meerschaert in Round 3. De Ridder entered the promotion as a former ONE Championship light heavyweight champion.
Holland (26-12 MMA, 13-9 UFC) most recently competed in October when he lost due to a rib injury suffered in a scramble against Roman Dolidze. Holland made it to the end of the first round. But due to his compromised status, coach Bob Perez decided to call off the fight. The defeat was his third in four outings.
With the addition, the UFC 311 lineup includes:
Jamahal Hill vs. Jiri Prochazka
Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac
Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland
Raoni Barcelos vs. Payton Talbott
Muin Gafurov vs. Rinya Nakamura
Bogdan Guskov vs. Johnny Walker
Ailin Perez vs. Karol Rosa
Sedriques Dumas vs. Zach Reese
Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios
Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program has now paid out more than $30 million to athletes since its deal began with Venum.
LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 247 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $188,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC Fight Night 247 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.
The full UFC Fight Night 247 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2471 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
“UFC Fight Night 247: Magny vs. Prates” – $188,500
Former ONE champ Reinier de Ridder lived up to his promise to finish Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 100, but it wasn’t easy.
[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] didn’t have the blowout performance he wanted in his octagon debut against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 247, but he got the win and a finish.
Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) went back-and-forth with Meerschaert (37-18 MMA, 12-10 UFC) on the feet and ground before he finally snatched an arm-triangle choke for the tap at the 1:44 mark of Round 3 in the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (via X):
Meerschaert was on point with his boxing to start the fight, tagging de Ridder multiple times and rejecting takedown attempts. He found comfort as the minutes wore on, however, and became more aggressive with his grappling pursuits before landing a huge left hand that dropped Meerschaert in the final seconds of the opening round.
With confidence on his side going into the second frame, de Ridder secured an early takedown and established top control. He burned several minutes off the clock before a sloppy submission attempt cost him position and led to Meerschaert getting top position of his own. Meerschaert landed some decent ground-and-pound to get some momentum back, but de Ridder got a scramble and late takedown to end the round.
The fight was still winnable for both sides going into the final round. Meerschaert made the first big takedown attempt of the round, which was stopped. De Ridder answered with a trip takedown, and then some high-energy reversals, transitions, and submission attempts unfolded over several minutes. De Ridder locked in the arm-triangle choke and got the tap.
[lawrence-related id=2784960,2784956]
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 247 results include:
Reinier de Ridder def. Gerald Meerschaert via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:44
Reinier de Ridder is well accomplished outside of the UFC. How will he fare in his debut against Gerald Meerschaert?
[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] and [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 247 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 1-3 UFC main cards, 2024: 91-88-3
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder UFC Fight Night 247 preview
Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) brings his high-level submission game to the cage against a debuting opponent with a lot of promise. Entering on the heels of back-to-back submissions of Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan, “GM3” will look to extend his winning streak to three, matching his previous UFC high. … Former ONE Championship two-division titleholder De Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) debuts after a July first-round finish of Magomedmurad Khasaev under the UAE Warriors banner. In ONE Championship, de Ridder won the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, recording two defenses of the 205-pound title.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder UFC Fight Night 247 expert pick, prediction
Serving as one of the few points of interest on this card is a middleweight matchup between UFC stalwart Meerschaert and newcomer de Ridder.
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who comes from a judo base, de Ridder has achieved titles in ONE Championship’s middleweight and light heavyweight divisions through his standout submission savvy.
That said, Meerschaert, who holds the most submission wins in UFC middleweight history, presents an interesting test for the Dutch debutant.
Although Meerschaert technically stands at 2-4 opposite UFC-level southpaws (though that stat could easily read 3-3 if his fight with Eryk Anders was adjudicated correctly), “GM3” – despite his speed and size – appears to be the more skilled striker of the two.
I could certainly see a competitive grappling fight that favors de Ridder if he can both successfully takedown and scramble with Meerschaert, but I still have a hard time going against the more proven product in this spot.
I’ll take Meerschaert to give de Ridder a luke-warm welcoming that’s reminiscent of Tim Boetch’s win over a debuting Hector Lombard.
The pick is Meerschaert by unanimous decision.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder UFC Fight Night 247 odds
The oddsmakers and public favor the Dutch fighter, listing de Ridder -310 and Meerschaert +240 via FanDuel.
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder UFC Fight Night 247 start time, how to watch
As the co-main event, Meerschaert and de Ridder are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.
Reinier de Ridder is seeking a memorable introduction to the octagon Saturday against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 100.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] is seeking a memorable introduction to the octagon Saturday against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 247.
Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his anticipated entry to promotion when he takes on all-time middleweight finishes and submissions record holder Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+).
“Finally, after all these years of talking about the top guys, to finally be close to getting them is very cool,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 247 media day. “The most important this is Gerald first. It’s a very cool matchup. It’s cool that it’s here. … Let’s see what I can do.”
At 34, time is of the essence for de Ridder. He said he feels fresh and healthy after lots of time off during his final years under the ONE Championship banner, and is keen to “make up for lost time” now that he’s in the UFC.
In order to get the opportunities he wants, though, de Ridder knows he can’t scrape by with a win. He needs to do something emphatic against Meerschaert, and that is exactly his intentions.
“A win is not enough – the top dogs finished Gerald and I want to prove I’m one of them,” de Ridder said. “To be honest, if I can ever get close to one of the records he holds, it would be amazing. So cool to see him fight, I’ve always watched his fights and that’s a great thing for this fight as well. There’s so much tape to study. He has so much fights. He has a really difficult style.
“The ways he finishes fights, there’s a few things he’s very dangerous at, there’s a few things he does that I think I can really capitalize as well. But it’s a great matchup. I’m very happy that they’ve given me him for my first fight because he’s a veteran, he’s a real name and I think if I can put a stamp on this one, I have some leverage to start calling out some bigger names.”
Reinier de Ridder took less money to fight for the UFC with the goal of mimicking his success in ONE Championship. Will the move pay off?
[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] has been patiently waiting for his time to join the UFC roster. Now that it’s here, he intends to make the most of it.
Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) recently signed a contract with the UFC and is set to make his debut against Gerald Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 247 on Nov. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He said the signing was a product of a plan put in place by his team at Dominance MMA, with manager Ali Abdelaziz being an “instrumental” part of the process.
De Ridder admits he can only say so much about how the move came to be. His final fight with ONE Championship was in March, and afterward he signed a one-fight deal with UAE Warriors, which ONE Championship claimed was a breach of contract. De Ridder fought and won the fight in July by first-round TKO, and now here he is.
“I don’t think I can tell you guys everything right now,” de Ridder told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “A lot of stuff happened. Thankfully everything fell into place. We had a plan, and it all worked out basically. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me at the time I spent with ONE. I’ve had amazing opportunities with them, and it was very good for a long time. And it hasn’t been so good for a little while, as well. Maybe one day I’ll talk a little bit more about it, but for now I’ll keep my cards close to my chest.”
Less is more?
Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166
De Ridder admitted there were other organizations in play with bigger bids for his services, but ultimately he followed his stronger desire to fight for the UFC.
“I’ve always taken it one step at a time, but UFC has always been in the back of my mind,” de Ridder said. “Like every fighter, I’m not that special in this regard. It’s to like that. They can offer you twice the money somewhere else, but everyone still wants to come to the UFC. We’re all just dummies, to be honest. The plan was to get a fight at UAE, get it done quick as it worked out thankfully, then get the ball rolling and sign with UFC. And I’m very happy this fight got offered to me right away.”
For de Ridder, the stability and activity promised under the UFC banner was a significant part of his decision process. As far as the weight class? The former ONE Championship light heavyweight and middleweight titleholder felt the 185-pound division was the best place for him.
“I’m basically like 210 walking around eating my normal diet and training normally,” de Ridder said. “It would be a very small cut to go to light heavyweight. To go to middleweight is a harder cut, but if I diet for a couple of weeks and do a good weight cut, it will be doable. Middleweight it is. Maybe down the line some light heavyweight action, as well. We’ll see how it all goes.”
Familiar first foe
De Ridder will get a familiar foe in Meerschaert, who has the most finishes and submission wins in UFC middleweight history. The pair have trained together in the past at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida, and de Ridder said he’s not shook by Meerschaert’s signature durability and routine ability to mount comebacks in his fights.
“He’s a good guy,” de Ridder said. “I met him in (South Florida). He teaches jiu-jitsu class in Henri Hooft’s gym. I was actually planning on spending some time there working my camp for my debut, but that didn’t work out, of course. I don’t think they’ll have me right now. I sent Henri a message that I’ll come out next time. They offered me this. I said yes right away. Very happy with the matchup. I don’t know what’s next but hopefully they have an event shortly after and I can get another one. Who knows?
“I’m always looking for the finish. So it will be take him down and try to choke him out. That’s normally the game plan, so I don’t think I’ll change that too much. But he can really take a punch, and he’s always dangerous. He has a mean left hook. It might look a little bit sloppy sometimes, it might look a bit awkward sometimes, but he’s very effective with what he does. We’ve had some fun sessions there in Miami.”
Ready for the top
De Ridder, 34, said he has no time to waste now that he’s in the UFC. He was hoping for a top-10 opponent right off the bat but thinks Meerschaert will be the perfect bridge to put him on that path for the next fight.
It’s been de Ridder’s dream to mix it up with the likes of Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, and more of the marquee names in the UFC middleweight division. Now he’s ready to prove his worth.
“(I’m ready for those guys) right now. Let’s go,” de Ridder said. “I’m ready. That’s what I’m here for. It would be so cool to finally get a shot at those guys. They’ve been around for so long. I’ve been around for a little while now, as well, so it would be very cool to finally get a chance to fight those guys.
“Adesanya, Dricus, Strickland – all of them. Why not? (I get to fight them now) instead of always looking in.”
Reinier de Ridder won’t make his UFC debut against a ranked opponent, but he isn’t facing a slouch, either.
[autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] won’t make his UFC debut against a ranked opponent, but he also isn’t facing a slouch.
News surfaced Tuesday that De Ridder, a former ONE Championship two-division titleholder, signed with the UFC and on Wednesday it was revealed that he will face [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] in a middleweight bout at a UFC Fight Night event Nov. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after it was initially reported by UFC op Eurosport on Instagram.
De Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 34, previously held the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles. In nine fights with ONE, de Ridder was victorious in his first seven before losing both of his title belts to Anatoly Malykhin in back-to-back fights. The Dutchman most recently competed for UAE Warriors in July and won by first-round TKO to snap his skid.
In Meerschaert (37-17 MMA, 12-9 UFC), de Ridder will face a savvy UFC veteran who most recently claimed the promotion record for finishes at middleweight. Last month, Meerschaert rallied to submit Edmen Shahbazyan for his 12th career finish at 185 pounds, which surpassed UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. It was Meerschaert’s second submission win in a row.
With the addition, the Nov. 9 UFC Fight Night lineup includes:
The UFC has made a significant addition to its middleweight division by signing former two-division ONE champ Reinier de Ridder.
The UFC has made one of its most notable free agency signings in recent memory with the addition of former two-division ONE Championship titleholder [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] to its roster.
MMA Junkie verified with a person close to the situation on Tuesday that de Ridder (17-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has inked a multi-fight contract with the UFC. The person requested anonymity because the organization has yet to make an initial announcement. The news first surfaced through UFC Roster Tracker on X.
De Ridder, 34, previously held the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles. He fought nine times under the ONE banner, winning his first seven bouts before losing both his titles to Anatoly Malykhin in back-to-back fights.
The Dutchman most recently competed under for UAE Warriors in July, scoring a first-round TKO to snap his losing skid and set up his entry into the UFC.
De Ridder’s octagon debut will take place at 185 pounds, a person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie. The location and opponent have not been revealed at this time.
Check out these photos from Anatoly Malykhin vs. Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166 in Qatar.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag]’s title victory over Reinier de Ridder at ONE 166 which took place at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. (Photos courtesy of ONE Championship)
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More than a year later, Reinier de Ridder will have his shot at revenge and reclaiming the ONE light heavyweight title vs. Anatoly Malykhin.
More than a year later, [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] will have have his shot at revenge against [autotag]Anatoly Malykhin[/autotag].
Undefeated Malykhin (13-0), the reigning ONE Championship light heavyweight and heavyweight title holder, will put his 225-pound belt on the line when he runs things back with de Ridder (16-1) on March 1 at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. The rematch will serve as the headliner for ONE 166.
De Ridder, the reigning ONE middleweight champ, didn’t compete in MMA in 2023. He took part in a grappling match this past May at ONE Fight Night 10, which he lost to Tye Ruotolo by unanimous decision.
