Reinier de Ridder got his UFC career off to a winning start at UFC Vegas 100, submitting Gerald Meerschaert in the co-main event.
De Ridder, a former two-division kingpin under the ONE Championship banner, departed Asia's leading martial arts promotion after being unseated by Anatoly Malykhin at both middleweight (205lbs) and light heavyweight (225lbs).
Following a bounce-back win at UAE Warriors 51 this past July, the Dutchman put pen to paper on a deal with the UFC, vowing to make a splash and compete with the best in the 185-pound class.
His path to doing so got underway Saturday night at the Apex, where de Ridder shared the cage with a former training partner of his and fellow submission specialist in Wisconsin's Meerschaert.
Things started off rocky for "The Dutch Knight," who found himself getting hit by the UFC veteran throughout the first round. But de Ridder finished the frame in strong fashion, dropping "GM3" and threatening a finish before the buzzer.
After a grueling second round, the Octagon newcomer looked to take advantage of his opponent's apparent fatigue, which paved the way for him to establish control on the ground in the final stanza.
It was there where he locked in an arm-triangle choke, extending his submission tally to 13 in the cage and forcing Meerschaert's first tap since a defeat to Jack Hermansson way back in 2018.
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Fans React To de Ridder's Successful UFC Debut
While the former ONE double champ had his hand raised, his performance received mixed reviews from MMA peers and the fanbase on social media.
Some were quick to write off de Ridder's chances of adding UFC gold to his trophy cabinet, predicting that his striking deficiencies will be exposed by those occupying spots inside the middleweight top 15.
Others, however, noted that de Ridder's display at UFC Vegas 100 followed a similar trend to his previous performances on the other side of the world — which he was able to repeat all the way to multiple thrones.
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For Meerschaert, Saturday's result snapped his two-fight winning run. The veteran had previously strung together consecutive submission triumphs over Bryan Barberena and Edmen Shahbazyan to reignite his ambitions of earning a number next to his name at 185 pounds.
