Dutch middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder booked himself into a ONE middleweight title fight with a victory over Brazilian contender Leandro Ataides at “ONE Championship 108: Warrior’s Code” on Friday in Jakarta, Indonesia. De Ridder (12-0) extended his perfect professional record after three bloody, hard-fought rounds against heavy-handed former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Ataides (11-4) to earn his shot at the ONE middleweight title held by two-division champion Aung La N Sang. De Ridder held the edge through the first round as he used his southpaw jab to good effect before closing the distance and sapping the Brazilian’s gas tank with extended clinch work and takedown attempts against the ring ropes. Both men were bloodied up in Round 2, with de Ridder sporting a cut above his left eyebrow and Ataides bleeding from the mouth as the pair went into the trenches and fought toe to toe for much of the round. It set up a tense final frame as both men battled back and forth in a vain search for a late finish, but it was de Ridder whose pressure proved crucial as he earned the unanimous decision after three punishing rounds at Istora Senayan. The victory means that de Ridder will be the next man to challenge Nsang for the ONE middleweight title, and “The Dutch Knight” had a message for “The Burmese Python” after his victory
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ONE Championship 108 results: Reinier de Ridder claims title shot after bloody war – MMA Junkie