Reinier De Ridder’s Road To His First UFC Main Event

It’s hard to believe that No. 12 ranked middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder made his UFC debut just eight months ago.

The former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion stepped into the Octagon for the first time last November against a red-hot Gerald Meerschaert, who was coming off back-to-back second-round submission wins over Edmen Shahbazyan and Bryan Barberena.

In what turned into a back-and-forth battle, de Ridder found himself in top position halfway through the third round and locked in an arm-triangle choke to force the tap. It was valuable experience for de Ridder, who secured his 12th professional submission, but not without having to weather some tough moments against…