De Ridder On Middleweight Mistakes Before Light Heavyweight Move

Reinier de Ridder has closed the book on his UFC middleweight career, calling his weight-cutting schedule the biggest mistake of his run at 185 pounds.

The former ONE Championship titleholder fights Roman Dolidze at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight in the UFC Sacramento co-main event this weekend. De Ridder went 4-2 at middleweight before losses to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho stalled his climb toward a title shot.

Why De Ridder Left Middleweight Behind

Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio, de Ridder said making the cut to 185 pounds six times in just over a year broke him down more than any opponent. "Middleweight is still great — a lot of cool stuff going on there — but I'm never going back," he told the outlet. "It's over: 205 is my home."

He went further, questioning the entire weight-cutting system that forces fighters to drain themselves before every bout. "If I would have been a bit more honest with myself, making 185 pounds six times in a little bit over a year is just the dumbest thing I've ever done," de Ridder said, per MMA Junkie. "It's not real, and I think it's time to figure something out with this whole weight cut thing, anyway, because this limits us fighters so much toward activity."

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

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Reinier de Ridder admits mistakes he made in middleweight division