Fresh off his latest title defense, two-division ONE champion Reinier de Ridder will return to action sooner than expected for a submission grappling match against Andre Galvao at the upcoming ONE X event on March 26.
ONE Championship officials confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting on Thursday.
With titles at both light heavyweight and middleweight, de Ridder has quickly become one of the most dominant champions on the entire ONE roster while also possessing a perfect 15-0 record in his career. The Dutch submission specialist most recently dispatched ONE welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov by third-round rear-naked choke at ONE: Full Circle in late February.
Now de Ridder will look to extend his reach into submission grappling while facing one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylists of all time.
Galvao is a nine-time medalist at the prestigious ADCC grappling championships with a pair of tournament wins as well as victories in four consecutive super fights between 2013 and 2019.
Over the years, Galvao has faced and defeated a who’s who list of top grapplers with notable wins over names such as Rousimar Palhares, Gunnar Nelson, Vinny Magalhaes, Braulio Estima and Felipe Pena. After contemplating retirement, Galvao returns after inking a deal with ONE Championship in 2021 with his first appearance now set against de Ridder on March 26.
ONE X will feature a number of high profile fights including former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson taking on Muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a special rules match along with Angela Lee facing Stamp Fairtex and Adriano Moraes taking on Yuya Wakamatsu.
