Former ONE champ Reinier de Ridder booked against UFC fan favorite after triumphant promotional debut

Reinier de Ridder will face a steep climb in competition for his next UFC fight to start the new year.

Reinier de Ridder was one of the UFC's biggest signings of 2024 after a decorated tenure in ONE Championship. After scoring an impressive finish in his UFC debut, De Ridder will return to the cage on a huge platform.

De Ridder defeated Gerald Meerschaert earlier this month at the UFC Vegas 100 by submission in the third round. After a slow start to the fight from both middleweights, it didn't take long for De Ridder to find his rhythm and knock out Meerschaert with an arm-triangle choke.

Just weeks away from earning his first UFC test, De Ridder already has his next Octagon assignment in the form of a huge UFC fan favorite.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland added to UFC 311

As reported by Alex Behunin, De Ridder will face Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in Los Angeles. It marks Holland's return to middleweight after an injury against Roman Dolidze in his most recent fight at UFC 307.

Before suffering the injury, Holland broke Michal Oleksiejczuk's arm at UFC 302 to get back into the win column after back-to-back losses. Holland has competed at welterweight and middleweight during his UFC career, scoring victories against the likes of Michael Chiesa and Joaquin Buckley.

De Ridder vs. Holland adds to a great card at UFC 311. Just days ago, it was announced that former UFC champions Jamahal Hill and Jiří Procházka will compete against each other in the co-main event.

Photos by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Reinier de Ridder and Kevin Holland battle to get closer to a Top 15 ranking

Before signing with the UFC this year, De Ridder made a name for himself as a double champion in ONE Championship. After winning the ONE light-heavyweight and middleweight titles, he lost both to Anatoly Malykhin in back-to-back losses.

De Ridder subsequently parted ways with ONE after the Malykhin fights and later begged the fighters not to sign with the promotion. He said the signees would be making a “big mistake” by joining ONE, but pointed out that his first years with the promotion were positive.

De Ridder and Holland have a chance to stand out from the middleweight bracket heading into 2025. As for UFC 311, the rest of the fight lineup is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

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