Dutch UFC competitor Reinier de Ridder revealed he was forced to sell his house to prepare for legal battles with ONE Championship as he fought to secure his release from the promotion that had effectively sidelined his career.
Speaking on ESPN MMA, de Ridder detailed the desperate circumstances that led to his dramatic escape from ONE FC and subsequent rise in the UFC. After being “parked” by ONE Championship for over a year, given a rematch with Anatoly Malykhin, and then shelved again for an extended period, de Ridder found himself in limbo with an organization that wasn’t offering him matches.
“I was just in a position of not knowing if I was ever going to fight again for one championship,” de Ridder explained. “In my mind I was already free because they weren’t offering me fights at all.”
The situation reached a breaking point when de Ridder and his manager Ali Abdelaziz orchestrated a plan for him to fight at UAE Warriors, knowing full well it would trigger legal retaliation from ONE Championship. The promotion responded immediately upon the fight’s announcement, suing not only de Ridder but also UAE Warriors and its president personally.
What followed was a harrowing period where de Ridder’s financial security hung in the balance. “We had just sold our house,” he revealed. “The lawyers were telling us if you have any money get it onto a different account because they’re coming for you on all the levels.”
The pressure intensified right up until fight time, with de Ridder facing a crucial decision just 30 minutes before his UAE Warriors bout. “I had to make the decision to walk out and fight with all the legal issues following or I could say I quit. I won’t take the fight and I would fall to ONE championship,” he said.
Despite the overwhelming legal threats and financial uncertainty, de Ridder chose to compete. He ended up finishing his opponent and setting the stage for what would become a remarkable year in the UFC.
The gamble paid off spectacularly. Exactly one year later, he found himself headlining a UFC event in Abu Dhabi against former champion Robert Whittaker.
de Ridder credits UAE Warriors’ unwavering support during the legal crisis as crucial to his success, noting that most smaller organizations would have folded under such pressure rather than stand behind a fighter facing major promotional lawsuits.
