Reinier de Ridder suggests he would only need 2 rounds to take out Israel Adesanya
![Reinier De Ridder (left) and Israel Adesanya (right). [Photo: ONE Championship]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/02/eb7f6-16449568218734-1920.jpg?w=500)
ONE middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Reinier de Ridder feels UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya would be an easy opponent to overcome if they were ever to meet.
The Dutch fighter called his shots in an Instagram story posted yesterday.
"Within two rounds"
In an interview published by Sportskeeda last month, Reinier de Ridder broke down ‘The Last Stylebender’s overall arsenal, describing the Nigerian-New Zealander as a good fighter with decent takedown defense.
However, the two-division champion believes Adesanya would be unable to defend against his takedowns if he trapped him in the center of the ONE Circle. Despite confidently stating how he would fare against the 32-year-old kickboxing specialist, he still deemed the longtime divisional kingpin an interesting fighter to watch.
Reinier de Ridder is currently preparing for his middleweight world title defense against Kiamrian Abbasov at ONE: Full Circle on Friday, February 25. Adesanya, meanwhile, is barely a week removed from his latest title defense against Australia’s Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.
As much as he would love to make a fight with Adesanya happen, de Ridder remains focused on his mission to take out his latest challenger at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next Friday night.
In a separate Instagram story, ‘The Dutch Knight’ said:
“First things first. But I got a good year planned.”
'The Dutch Knight' returns to the ONE stage off the back of two wins in a row over former two-division king Aung La N Sang. Abbasov, on the other hand, makes his comeback following a fourth-round KO against James Nakashima at ONE: Inside the Matrix II in November 2020.
Both fighters are wizards on the canvas, so fans can expect nonstop action on the ground when the match gets underway.
Reinier de Ridder’s groundwork is key to victory at ONE: Full Circle
The Dutchman's grappling prowess has allowed him to ease his way to five wins on the global stage. Utilizing the same tools on February 25 should see him extend his unbeaten professional record.
However, the 31-year-old’s solid underhooks, quick movements on the ground and ability to get the better of his opponents from every grappling exchange will be tested by Abbasov, himself a ground game specialist.
If the Dutch fighter can minimize Abbasov’s huge takedowns and ruthless work from top position on the canvas, a victory will surely be within touching distance. Abbasov’s ground game is good, but ‘The Dutch Knight’ only needs to pull one trick out of his sleeve to leave Singapore with yet another win.