
Reinier
de Ridder believes his light heavyweight move puts the fun back
into fighting.
He’s competed at middleweight during his
Ultimate Fighting Championship run so far. However, following
back-to-back losses at 185 pounds, de Ridder committed to the
205-pound division after enduring six weight cuts in just over a
year.
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Reinier de Ridder explains why he left middleweight ahead of
his Roman Dolidze fight at UFC Sacramento
Ahead of his UFC light heavyweight debut against Roman
Dolidze at
UFC Sacramento, de Ridder opened up about the difficult weight
cuts at middleweight that made the overall experience
unenjoyable.
“It took all the fun out of fighting,” de Ridder said at UFC
Sacramento media day. “I was basically dieting year-round,
struggling to get close year-round, so it was time.”
The Dutchman said his body began showing the effects of repeated
cuts, particularly after his first-round fight with Brendan
Allen left him exhausted.
“I think that was just too much,” de Ridder added. “It basically
pushed my body way too far.”
The move to light heavyweight has allowed de Ridder to train and
eat without the same restrictions. He also recently joined
American Top Team, where he regularly trains with larger
fighters. The former two-division One
Championship titleholder is eyeing a top-ranked opponent if he
beats Dolidze.
“If I do well this weekend and I can get a spectacular finish, next
one is going to be Top 10 for sure,” he added.
“It took all the fun out of fighting.“
Reinier
de Ridder (@ReinierdeRidder)
discusses his move to light heavyweight to face Roman
Dolidze.Buy tickets for
#UFCSacramento 🎟️ https://t.co/vCGB2VKSqrFight by Fight Preview ➡️ https://t.co/6yt9GB8wP3 pic.twitter.com/mg7pDVcDEp
— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 19, 2026