De Ridder On Why Weight Cuts Ended Middleweight Run

Reinier de Ridder moved to heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight because cutting to 185 pounds stopped being fun.

The former ONE Championship double-champ told reporters at UFC Sacramento media day that six weight cuts in just over a year left him dieting constantly and struggling to recover. "It took all the fun out of fighting," de Ridder said, per Sherdog. "I was basically dieting year-round, struggling to get close year-round, so it was time."

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De Ridder's Body Broke Down After Allen Fight

The Dutchman said the damage showed up most clearly after his first-round loss to Brendan Allen, which came on the heels of another defeat at middleweight. "I think that was just too much," he added. "It basically pushed my body way too far."

De Ridder can now train and eat without the same restrictions at 205 pounds. He recently joined American Top Team, where he works with bigger training partners daily.

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If he finishes Roman Dolidze on Saturday, de Ridder expects a ranked opponent next. "If I do well this weekend and I can get a spectacular finish, next one is going to be Top 10 for sure," he said.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Reinier de Ridder: Weight cuts ‘took all the fun out of fighting’