De Ridder On Extreme Weight Cutting In MMA

Reinier de Ridder has moved to heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight and shut the door on ever returning to middleweight after extreme weight cutting derailed his UFC run.

The Dutch fighter, who started his UFC tenure with four straight wins including victories over former champion Robert Whittaker and Bo Nickal, dropped back-to-back fights to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho after making six middleweight cuts in little over a year. De Ridder told MMA Fighting the repeated drains left him unable to recover between training sessions and wrecked his hormone levels. His corner stopped the Allen fight when his body effectively gave out.

De Ridder Calls For Weight Cutting Reform

De Ridder said the current system forces fighters into dangerous cuts because opponents rehydrate 25 pounds or more by fight night. He questioned the logic of two middleweights weighing 185 at the scale only to both clock 210 or 215 when the cage door closes. "The way the system is right now you have to," he said, per the report. "Because otherwise, you're fighting somebody who is 25 pounds heavier than you and that's too much."

The fighter admitted he accepted too many opportunities too fast but knows something fundamental has to change before someone pays with their life. He said an extreme cut twice a year might work for fighters who compete once or twice annually, but six in 13 months destroyed him physically and mentally. Making weight became the primary focus, with the actual fight secondary.

De Ridder faces Roman Dolidze at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight on Saturday at UFC Sacramento. He said he will never return to 185 and believes most of the middleweight division is following him up a weight class anyway. Training camp at 205 has shown him massive differences in recovery and overall health compared to the brutal cycles he endured before.

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• MMA Fighting — ‘What the f*ck are we doing?’: Reinier de Ridder says something has to be done about extreme weight cutting in MMA