Photo via onefc.com
Reinier de Ridder Explains Calling Out Strickland
Reinier de Ridder finished Bo Nickal in round two of their co-main event slot at the UFC Fight Night in Des Moines, Iowa.
The former ONE Championship Champ-Champ was able to land a knee to the body to hand Nickal his first loss in his career. De Ridder will likely not see movement in the UFC rankings this week, so his callout of Sean Strickland makes sense if he wants to fast-track to a UFC title.
“This is the best American wrestler you have, right? Now give me the best American Striker. Strickland, you’re up, buddy! Let’s go!”
That was the callout de Ridder made in the cage.
While it may have made MMA (and UFC fans) scratch their heads. If you’re de Ridder, the callout is the right move. Strickland is currently ranked number two in the UFC, and with Khamzat Chimaev and current champion Dricus Du Plessis, expected to face each other, if he wants to be a contender, he has to face whoever is closest to the title.
When asked about Strickland afterward, de Ridder told ESPN, “ I like the guy, he’s very funny. He’s a top-five guy, and I don’t think he has a fight scheduled. So, I thought this is the best American wrestler, let’s do the best American striker now.”
He seems aware that the UFC and its fans find Strickland marketable, and it would likely be the best exposure he can get right now. He was a huge underdog against Nickal, likely because of the fanbase not knowing much about him, even though he had more experience and held multiple titles in other organizations in MMA. Many of the top-ten fighters in the UFC rankings would be good for him, but it looks like de Ridder knows what he’s doing.
Who would you like to see him fight next?
Check out his full post-fight interview with ESPN here:
