Victim of Caio Borralho explains drastic change after consecutive defeats: 'A lot of stress'

Caio Borralho in victory against Ridder's Reinier at UFC 326. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

In a difficult phase after being overcome by Caio Borralho at UFC 326, Ridder's Reinier announced a change for the future of his career. After having his winning streak interrupted in the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg), the Dutchman has decided that it is time to compete in the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg). He spoke about the matter in a video published on YouTube last Sunday (19).

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According to the athlete, the decision was made because the challenge of cutting weight was proving so difficult that it was drastically impacting his preparation period, especially in his last fights, in which he was defeated by... Brendan allen e Caio Borralho.

“In the last two training periods… basically the last six to eight weeks, I’ve been totally focused on my diet. I can’t eat anything excessive for a good while, and even with the healthy things I eat, I need to be very, very careful to get close to my ideal weight. It will be much easier, and I hope to have much more energy during the training period as well,” the fighter revealed.

On point for his biggest fight! 🎯

Ridder's Reinier weighs in at 186 lbs at #UFCAbuDhabi

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- UFC (@ufc) July 25, 2025

Before facing Borralho, De Ridder followed a different pattern in ONE.

Reinier DeRidder He was a two-time ONE Championship winner. Photo: Reproduction/ONE.

In discussing the situation, De Ridder recalled the dynamics within ONE, the leading organization in Asia and where he became a two-time champion. To prevent athletes from experiencing health problems due to weight cutting, methods were developed to make the practice more difficult.

“In the middleweight division, I would weigh around 97 kilos, or, on fight night, around 96 kilos, something like that. But I think the weight cut got progressively worse. It was a huge stress on my body. In ONE, I fought at 93 kg. So, all my fights were in that category because we didn't do weight cutting there. They tried to prevent people from cutting weight with hydration tests and everything else. My normal weight at the time was around 95 kg, something like that. So I didn't cut weight. I just ate a little less in the days leading up to the fight and reached 93 kg very easily,” he concluded.