De Ridder Hopes To Avoid Whittaker Rematch

Reinier de Ridder wants nothing to do with Robert Whittaker at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight.

The former One Championship two-division titleholder faces Roman Dolidze at UFC Sacramento on Saturday in his 205-pound debut. Whittaker also recently moved up a weight class, but de Ridder told reporters he hopes to avoid a rematch with the Australian.

Why De Ridder Wants Distance From Whittaker

De Ridder took a split decision over Whittaker at middleweight last year, but the fight left a mark. Per Sherdog, he said Whittaker's jab-cross speed caught him off guard and forced him to empty the tank for the win. "The thing that really amazed me was how quick he was with the 1-2 every time," de Ridder said at UFC Sacramento media day. "That fight really took a lot out of me. I had to dig deep to win that fight."

Both fighters struggled at middleweight after their clash. De Ridder dropped back-to-back decisions to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho before committing to heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight. Whittaker moved up following losses to Khamzat Chimaev and de Ridder, stopping Nikita Krylov in his 205-pound debut.

De Ridder and Dolidze weigh in Friday ahead of Saturday's card in Sacramento.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Reinier de Ridder hopes to avoid Robert Whittaker rematch ‘for now’