Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmakers tend not to afford soft landings to promotional newcomers of Reinier de Ridder’s ilk.
“The Dutch Knight” will make his Octagon debut opposite onetime Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Gerald Meerschaert in the UFC Vegas 100 middleweight co-headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. De Ridder steps into the Octagon with an impressive 17-2 record in tow. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder last saw action on July 27, when he buried Magomedmurad Khasaev with punches in the first round of their encounter at a UAE Warriors event.