After Fraud Check, Title Aspirant Reinier de Ridder Breaks Down ‘Awkward’ Dricus Du Plessis Strikefest

UFC 185-pound sensation Reinier de Ridder reveals potential path to winning against berserker Dricus Du Plessis after his UFC Des Moines win.

After Fraud Check, Title Aspirant Reinier de Ridder Breaks Down ‘Awkward’ Dricus Du Plessis Strikefest

Reinier de Ridder breaks down the Dricus Du Plessis fight style after UFC Des Moines win (Source: X)

New UFC sensation Reinier de Ridder wants all the smoke and all the standup challenge that comes his way after UFC Des Moines. To that end, the Dutch fighter recently pitched in, with eye on the prize: Dricus Du Plessis. DDP’s style has remained a different thing in UFC competition, and the Dutch fighter gave some tidbits on it.

Reinier de Ridder caused a heavy set of Round 2 step-in knee TKO (strikes) that defeated highly touted middleweight Bo Nickal. After UFC on ESPN 67 in Des Moines, de Ridder wished for a striking fest vs. Sean Strickland. In the span of just three matches, he has had quite the winning momentum and might soon find himself as a contender. To that end, he weighed in with some insight on Dricus Du Plessis.

Everything [du Plessis] he does is so weird. The gas tank is crazy, the angles he comes with is very weird, but what we haven’t seen people do to him is mixing strikes and takedowns… think what would be important in a Dricus fight is hit him with a couple shots, make him shell up like he likes to do. And then, push him against the cage, wrestle with him, get into the clinch.

Reinier de Ridder on the ‘Submission Radio’ Show for SBNation Network (🎥: @SubmissionRadio on YT)

The Afrikaner won his middleweight gold from Strickland. Since then, he has made two neat defenses; the latest at UFC 312 PPV main event. DDP’s head-first, non-stop berserker fighting style has been one tough cookie. It’s what has made him a tough notch against similar explosive and UFC 185-pound top contender Khamzat Chimaev, making this a go-to super fight.

Meanwhile, the ex-ONE FC Champ is 3-0 and boasts all wins via finishes. RDR was ready to go anywhere, to any pocket and discipline. RDR’s smooth destruction of Penn State University three-time NCAA Division I alum showed his Fight IQ. Confident that he can meet a berserker with full force, de Ridder has wanted a striking challenge in further outings.

Reinier de Ridder talks about how he and UFC 185-pound champ Dricus Du Plessis resemble each other

Reinier de Ridder is over the high moon and sees himself cracking top PPV fights. He handed Donald Trump’s golfing buddy, Bo Nickal, his first-career loss in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 67 co-main. Now, he is scouting for chance fights to cement himself as a proper contender.

Reinier de Ridder finds similarities with champ Dricus Du Plessis
Reinier de Ridder finds similarities with champ Dricus Du Plessis (Source: X)

The former ONE dual-champion strongly believes he can crack the middleweight strikers’ code against top names. It’s not unlike what UFC Des Moines star Nickal wanted for himself, not long ago, at the cost of fan perceptions. RDR, though, stands a far better chance at it and is already placing himself on the horizon for it.

However, despite big aspirations and whatever future matchmaking holds, Reinier de Ridder has also taken a shine to finding charismatic similarities with top names. During the recent media interview with ‘Submission Radio’, the fighter weighed in on public similarities with champ Dricus Du Plessis.

My wife showed me [that] people say [du Plessis and I are] goofy, so maybe that… I don’t know what that really means, but fu*k them… It’s all good, it’s fun as long as people talk about you, right?

Reinier de Ridder further said

A charismatic similarity with DDP is no small thing. The middleweight kingpin is 2-0 when it comes to stabbing through former hardcore champs with his pre-fight banters. It is a skill that he had acquired from his mom, allegedly. If de Ridder can hype up pre-fight trashing like that even more, he is sure to become one of the biggest draws with the performances he already has.

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