Reinier de Ridder is planning to alter things up following a second straight setback contained in the Octagon.
The Dutchman entered the Octagon for his first fight of the 12 months this past Saturday at UFC 326, as he looked to bounce back from his first defeat within the promotion.
As an alternative, De Ridder was beaten by Caio Borralho, and a second straight loss on MMA’s biggest stage has left the previous ONE Championship titleholder making a switch.
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Reinier de Ridder broadcasts light heavyweight move after UFC 326 defeat
De Ridder addressed his UFC 326 defeat for the primary time on Wednesday and revealed that he plans on moving as much as light heavyweight in his return.
Just a few months before losing to Borralho, De Ridder was beaten by Brendan Allen within the fundamental event of UFC Vancouver.
With those setbacks leaving him removed from title contention at 185 kilos, ‘The Dutch Knight’ disclosed his decision to go away the division to his Kill Cliff FC teammates — with the assistance of some donuts.
“I’m good. Just sad, but okay,” De Ridder told his teammates in a video posted on Instagram.
“I wanna say, thanks guys for all the assistance. I got here up a bit of short. I believe it could have gone either way, but I’m completely happy that I got my body back most significantly.
“I used to be in a position to go three hard rounds, and I believe I actually have lots more to point out,” he added.
“I brought you guys donuts because I would like you guys heavy, I would like you guys strong, because I’m coming to 205 (kilos), baby!”
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Before his current losing skid, De Ridder ended Bo Nickal’s undefeated run and got the higher of legend Robert Whittaker to increase his perfect UFC record to 4-0.
The 35-year-old will look to regain that form in a weight class that he could also be more comfortable in. Before joining the UFC, De Ridder won titles at each 205 and 225 kilos in ONE Championship.
Together with his announcement in mind, the Dutch star will probably be paying close attention to the fundamental event in Miami on April 11. Jiri Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg headlines UFC 327, because the pair of top contenders vie for the vacant light heavyweight belt.