This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 100, we saw the octagon debut of a former two-division world champion. Former ONE Championship title holder Reinier De Ridder (18-2) made his octagon debut against veteran Gerald Meerschaert (37-18).
This was a compelling matchup on paper due to the styles of both men. Meerschaert holds the UFC’s middleweight record for the most finishes due to his dominant grappling and submissions. De Ridder came into the promotion known for his slick ground game and submissions.
Because of their ground skills, we saw a lot of action on the feet in this one. In the first round, Meerschaert looked great on the feet until De Ridder dropped him in the final few seconds to steal the round. In the second round, Meerschaert looked good on the feet and also used a reversal to end up on top during a grappling exchange. A clear round for Meerschaert.
Entering the final round, I had it 1-1. De Ridder looked fresher and he landed a big takedown early in the round. He was able to get to a dominant position and secured an arm triangle. Meerschaert tapped giving De Ridder the submission win in his UFC debut.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 100?
I was pretty excited to see De Ridder make his way over to the UFC. He’s a very solid fighter and I was very interested to see what he could bring to the division. Yes, he did pickup the submission win on Saturday and Gerald Meerschaert is no slouch, but I wasn’t impressed.
I know he’s awkward on the feet and he’s a ground game specialist, but his striking and striking defense looked rough. If he wants to challenge the elites of the division, he’s going to need to tighten up his striking because what we saw on Saturday night is not a guy who can become a UFC champion like he aspires to be.
So, what should be next for him? Honestly, I’m looking to this weekend and the Paul Craig – Bo Nickal fight. The expectation of most is that Nickal is going to win unless Craig can pull off a submission. If Bo Nickal wins this weekend, I love the idea of him and De Ridder fighting.
De Ridder could gain some hype of his own from that matchup if he becomes the first to defeat Nickal. If Nickal wins, he can say that he defeated a former world champion and it would allow him to continue building his resume.