Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze meet on the UFC Fight Night 285 main card on Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 2-3
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UFC main cards, 2026: 89-48-1
Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze UFC Fight Night 285 preview
De Ridder (21-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) entered the UFC on a hot streak of four big wins against strong competition: Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal, and former champion Robert Whittaker. However, since then, he’s dropped two straight against Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho.
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Dolidze (15-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) also enters on the heels of back-to-back losses against headliner Anthony Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan. His most recent run ended a three-fight winning streak over Anthony Smith, Holland, and Marvin Vettori.
Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze UFC Fight Night 285 expert pick, prediction
Despite this fight clearly being the rightful co-main event for this card, Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze will have to settle for the next slot down.
Both de Ridder and Dolidze are former middleweights who are moving back up to their more natural weight classes, so I’m expecting better showings from each of them this time around.
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Dolidze undoubtedly has the power edge, but it’s hard to be confident in the processless Georgian wild man. For that reason, I’ll side with de Ridder.
Say what you will about his janky striking technique or hittability on the feet, de Ridder is the more consistent man when it comes to both offensive output and pushing his directionality in a fight.
The official pick is de Ridder to win a competitive but clear decision on the scorecards.
Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze UFC Fight Night 285 odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the Dutch fighter, listing de Ridder -430 and Dolidze +320 via FanDuel.
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Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze UFC Fight Night 285 start time, how to watch
De Ridder and Dolidze are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Reinier de Ridder vs. Roman Dolidze prediction, pick for UFC Fight Night 285
