Reinier de Ridder Moves to 205, Blasts 25-Pound MMA Weight-Cut Gap
Updated
Updated · MMA Fighting · Aug 21
Reinier de Ridder Moves to 205, Blasts 25-Pound MMA Weight-Cut Gap
3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Aug 21
Summary
Saturday’s UFC Sacramento card will mark de Ridder’s 205-pound debut against Roman Dolidze after he ruled out ever returning to middleweight.
Two straight losses drove the switch: de Ridder said repeated cuts to 185 left him drained, hurt recovery in camp and contributed to his body shutting down against Brendan Allen before a flat showing versus Caio Borralho.
Six cuts in a little over a year, he said, were far beyond what his body could handle, arguing extreme cuts should happen only once or twice annually at most.
De Ridder said the current system forces fighters to dehydrate for a size edge, with middleweights weighing in at 185 but often entering fights around 210 to 215.
Longer term, he said MMA needs to change its weight-cutting rules before the practice causes even more serious harm, while he targets a top-10 light heavyweight if he beats Dolidze.