Weight cutting is dangerous and often leads to fight cancelations.
That’s why UFC fighters, including former champions, are slowly starting to move up in weight instead of down. That includes former middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder, who recently abandoned his post at 185 pounds for a fresh start at light heavyweight.
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The journey begins against Roman Dolidze at UFC Sacramento.
“I’m never going back, it’s over,” the 6’4″ De Ridder told MMA Junkie. “205 is my home. Making 185 pounds six times in a little bit over a year is just the dumbest shit I’ve ever done. I think it’s time to figure something out with this whole weight cutting thing, because this limits us fighters so much toward activity. It’s so weird we ended up here. Everyone cuts 10 percent of their body weight. Everybody is compromised when they fight. Why are we still doing this shit?”
Because safety doesn’t resonate like performance, according to this expert.
De Ridder (21-4) is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Caio Borralho at UFC 326 last March, his second straight defeat after jumping out to a 4-0 start in UFC. As for Dolidze (15-5), he’s also looking to snap a two-fight losing streak after falling to Anthony Hernandez (UFC Vegas 109) and Christian Leroy Duncan (UFC London).
To see who else is fighting at UFC Sacramento click here.
