Issue 222
October 2025
Reinier de Ridder sat down with Fighters Only’s Paul Browne to talk about his move from ONE Championship to the UFC, the challenges of life under the sport’s brightest spotlight, and how he balances the grind of elite competition with being a devoted father.
Reinier de Ridder’s rise to the top hasn’t been without challenges. The Dutch fighter built his reputation under the ONE Championship banner, winning world titles in middleweight and light heavyweight, thriving in the relative quiet of Asia’s MMA circuit. After signing with the UFC, “RDR” found himself in a place where every move he makes is scrutinized on a scale unlike anything he’s faced before.
“It's been crazy, dude,” he laughs. “Be careful what you wish for, is what I'd say!”
FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT
Throughout his time at ONE, de Ridder was vocal in his criticism and pushed for more fights, but those calls often fell on deaf ears, as he competed only 6 times in his final 4 years there. By contrast, in his first year on the UFC roster, de Ridder stepped into the Octagon a staggering five times. It’s no wonder he’s much happier now.
“I was very frustrated with ONE,” he recalls. “At the end, there was nobody there to fight. Finding opponents was always a problem. After every fight, I was stressed because I didn’t know when I was going to get another one. It was a real struggle. Moving to the UFC has made it just way easier. If I want to fight, they'll have a fight for me, and I always want to fight. So, that led to an amazing first year.”
CHASING HIS POTENTIAL
Beyond the financial stability that comes with fighting more frequently, at 35, he knows time is not on his side, and his focus is on making every moment count.
“My perspective has always been that time is short,” he says. “I can't do this forever. Nobody can fight forever. And I want to just see if I can get the most out of it. I want to see how far I can go in this sport. I've been working so hard at this for so long, it just sucks that a promotion can steal your time, the only real thing you have.”
De Ridder repaid the UFC’s faith in him by rattling off consecutive victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal. His hard-fought decision win over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker cemented his status as a real contender, and although he came up short in his fifth UFC appearance against Brendan Allen, he has left no doubt that he belongs among the sport’s elite.
BALANCING GRIND AND FAMILY
As a father of two young daughters, de Ridder has had to make tough decisions along the way. After a period of constant travel between Florida, where he trains at Kill Cliff FC, and his home in the Netherlands, he closed his physical therapy practice and relocated his family to the U.S.
“I've just been training basically year-round, twice a day, grinding like an animal,” de Ridder says. “That's what my last 12 months has consisted of. In the beginning, I went back and forth between Florida before going back to the United States. My wife and my daughters would come over for a couple of weeks every time to Florida to join me in camp. But now we've moved there full-time. We've got everything set up there. The kids are going to school in Florida, so that's at least a bit easier.”
FINDING BALANCE
He’s had to navigate the challenge of separating Reinier-the-fighter from Reinier-the-father. With little downtime between fights, he works hard to stay present when he’s with his family.
“Yeah, it can be hard, it definitely is hard,” he says. “But because they're always close, it's easier to get a couple of hours here and there with them. We live close to the beach, so after school, I take them there regularly. We go to the sea. We play a little together. And I try to tell myself it's not about how much time you spend with them, but when you spend time with them, try and be in the moment as much as you can. Enjoy them as much as you can. That can be hard because you're switching between being a nice guy and a good dad and trying to kill somebody. Finding that balance, it's not always easy. If you can be in the moment, that's the most important thing. If you can try and shut everything out, and you can just focus on being in the moment when you're with your kids, be with them, and don’t be distracted by something else. And the same thing goes for fighting. When I'm in the gym, I just focus on getting better. That's what I'm trying to do.”
ALL IN
His story is one of balance between the ferocity of the Octagon and the tenderness of fatherhood, between chasing a legacy and cherishing fleeting moments with his daughters. The life-altering leap has allowed him to maximize his prime and cement his status as one of the greatest middleweights on the planet. As he continues to navigate the highs and lows of this new chapter, de Ridder remains focused on the present, whether he’s trading punches in the cage or playing on a Florida beach with his girls.
“It’s about being all in, wherever I am,” he says.
That mindset captures his approach to both fighting and family. Training twice a day and tucking his daughters into bed at night, De Ridder’s balancing act says as much about character as it does ambition. It’s the daily choice to stay grounded while chasing greatness that defines him. For every fighter measuring legacy in wins, his might be measured in how well he keeps the two halves of his life intact.
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