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Reinier de Ridder | Changing Things Up
Dutch Standout Discusses Shift To Light Heavyweight, Switching Gyms
Even before Reinier de Ridder encountered setbacks inside the Octagon, the Dutch standout was contemplating leaving the middleweight division for the light heavyweight ranks.
“It had been in my mind for a long time,” de Ridder began on Tuesday afternoon, discussing his shift up the scale ahead of his UFC light heavyweight debut against Roman Dolidze. “Even the Bo (Nickal) fight, the (Robert) Whittaker fight, all of those weight cuts were pretty tough, to be honest.
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“Getting through training camp was pretty rough as well,” de Ridder added. “You’re working hard twice a day, but you can’t really recover well because you’re not really able to feed yourself the way you should, so it had been on my mind for a long time. But there are, and there were, a lot of cool fights at middleweight that I had a hard time giving up on, but I think it’s a good move; I’m never going back to middleweight.”
The interesting part of de Ridder’s decision to begin his UFC tenure in the 185-pound ranks is that he had experienced a great deal of success competing at light heavyweight before touching down in the Octagon.
Reinier De Ridder: 'It Took All The Fun Out Of Fighting' | UFC Sacramento
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Reinier De Ridder: 'It Took All The Fun Out Of Fighting' | UFC Sacramento
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He opened his career with four straight stoppage wins in the division and had tremendous success in the weight class during his time competing under the ONE Championship banner as well, ultimately winning championship gold and successfully defending the title twice and amassing an 11-1 record within the division overall. But when he signed with and debuted in the UFC, de Ridder did so at middleweight, and it’s those cool fights that were the draw.
“There were just so many more cool fights at middleweight, and when I started in the UFC, I was a little bit lighter too,” he said. “These years in America have made me gain some weight as well.”
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A shift in weight class isn’t the only switch de Ridder has made in advance of his return to action, though, as after several years training at Kill Cliff FC, he opted to make the move to training with the gym’s “cross-town rivals” at American Top Team, joking with UFC.com earlier in the day that it was a somewhat controversial move.
Citing the departure of his former opponent and close friend Aung La Nsang following the opening of his own gym as one of the key factors that contributed to his departure, de Ridder offered rave reviews of his new situation and the work he’s done with new coaches Mike Brown and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.
“I felt like it was time for me to make a move and it’s been very good at ATT,” de Ridder said. “It is cool to work with Mike Brown, “King Mo” — I’ve learned so much again and there is a s***-load of big guys there. I’m very happy that I was welcomed there. I’ve known King Mo for a while, and he’s always a very good dude. I was very pleasantly surprised with all of his insights in MMA —he’s a really good coach, and he has really been coaching me through sparring and everything. It’s cool to work with Mike Brown as well —a real MMA nerd; loves this s***. It’s been a blessing on that side, and next to that, there are endless good Dagestani, Chechen guys, American guys; so many good guys to work with.”
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The shift in both weight class and teams is going to prompt some to wonder if de Ridder is having a crisis of confidence now that he’s coming off consecutive losses to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho, but such a thought couldn’t be any further from the truth, especially given all that de Ridder achieved before those setbacks.
The Dutch veteran won four fights in eight months to open his UFC tenure, including submitting Kevin Holland, handing Bo Nickal his first and only loss to date, and edging out former champ Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi. While his last two appearances didn’t produce the desired results, de Ridder is still rightfully proud of everything he’s accomplished to this point in his UFC career, and understandably eager to get back to showcasing the full complement of his skills inside the Octagon.
“At the very least, (I showed) that I belong,” he said. “I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to do. All of those fights taught me something; I know where my strong suit is, I know where my weapons are, and I still love working hard, being in the gym and grinding hard. I still love all this stuff, so I’m gonna see how far I can push this at 205.”
Saturday’s pairing with Dolidze, who is also returning to light heavyweight following an extended stay in the middleweight division, presents “RDR” with an opportunity to make a statement in his divisional debut in the UFC, as the Georgian is an established name who has similarly enjoyed quality success across the two weight classes.
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Though neither is presently ranked, the depth at light heavyweight isn’t quite as robust as it is at middleweight, which creates a quickly path to potentially breaking into the rankings, though de Ridder noted that he and Dolidze aren’t the only two former middleweights that have taken up residence in the 205-pound weight class, which means some of those cool fights that had previously eluded him may still be options even after this shift.
“Maybe the cool fights are following me,” de Ridder said with a laugh before playfully dismissing the notion of a rematch with Whittaker now that they’re both competing at light heavyweight.
“We’ll leave that one behind us,” he said. “He looked good in his last one though; very quick.”
While there may be cool fights in his future, a crucial one rests before him in the present, and de Ridder is keen to deliver a reminder of the talents he brings with him to the Octagon and admitted that a dominant finish is a must for him on Saturday.
“I expect to be back to 100 percent and to show off all of my strong suits —my weapons at range, hopefully some knees and elbows in the clinch, and get back to the stuff that makes me good, makes me special. I need to put him away, hopefully spectacularly; that’s the most important thing.”
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