Image Credits: ONE Championship
The two-division ONE Championship title winner Reinier de Ridder and BJJ legend Andre Galvao competed against each other in a submission grappling match earlier this year… With the bout ending in a draw.
You can watch the entire match on the video below:
But what was the experience of grappling against a legend such as Galvao for de Ridder (who’s an incredibly skilled BJJ black belt himself)?
He revealed in a recent MMA Superfan interview:
I know more about Gordon than I know about Galvao. It was just that the match was on three weeks’ notice. I was just on the other side of the planet before. I had to fly back and then to Singapore again.
It was all a bit rushed. I didn’t have any time to prepare. But I really liked the opportunity.I got there to grapple with Galvao, a real legend. He was good everywhere. His takedowns were very good.
He’s very solid and hard to move around.
In a separate interview, Ridder emphasized that choking people out is significantly easier in MMA than it is in submission grappling:
In grappling, sometimes it’s hard to get to places, because they can really stall. And then in MMA, once I get on top, I can get some elbows involved, get some punches involved and then I can really force them to move.
Then that elbow opens up some more stuff.Sometimes it’s easier to choke people in MMA than it is in grappling.
The post Reinier de Ridder Talks Grappling Match With Andre Galvao: “He’s A Real Legend” appeared first on Bjj Eastern Europe.