Reinier de Ridder is still feeling the aftermath of his first UFC defeat, admitting he pushed himself too far in preparation for his middleweight bout against Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 262.
De Ridder, a former two-division ONE champion, was unable to continue after Round 4, with his corner throwing in the towel. Speaking to Submission Radio three weeks after the fight, the Dutch fighter reflected on the challenges that contributed to his defeat.
Overtraining and Weight Cut Struggles
“Most importantly, I fcked that up. I fcked it up big time,” de Ridder said. “In training camp, looking back, I was just pushing myself way too far and the last, especially – well, basically the entire camp, I was feeling slow, very rundown, very tired after every session and during every session. To be honest, even in the Robert [Whittaker] camp, I wasn’t even feeling like myself at the last couple of weeks, but I was very stubborn as a Dutchman is supposed to be and I pushed myself. Kept pushing myself, kept going harder and harder and harder, and that’s what showed in the fight. I’m not even sure if it’s the weight cut. It must play a part as well because it was very hard to get down this time, but most importantly, I just beat my body up this year like crazy and I just went too far.”
Fans speculated the difficult weight cut might have contributed to his defeat at 185 pounds, but de Ridder pointed out that overtraining and fighting five times in 11 months were bigger factors.
Fighting Too Often
“Everybody said, ‘Why are you fighting? Take some time off. Rest,’” de Ridder admitted. “And I was the only stupid guy who said, ‘No, I’m going to fight.’”
After transitioning from ONE Championship in July 2024, de Ridder fought consistently, scoring victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Bo Nickal, and Robert Whittaker. The rigorous schedule ultimately left him exhausted in Vancouver.
Chasing the Title
“Not even the money. I’m good, I’m alright, I don’t even need more money. Don’t tell Dana (laughs). It’s just I was so focused on the title. I was so focused to finally get my title shot and I thought I was going to secure it in Vancouver. So I just kept pushing and I wanted to be ready,” de Ridder explained.
“I wanted to be better than ever, and it was never an option for me to say I’ll pass and take some time off because in my mind, I was not going to get the title shot, and I’d be left wondering when I’d get the chance. So yeah, I did something I shouldn’t have done and hopefully I’ll learn a little bit.”
De Ridder is aiming to return to action in February or March, with potential matchups against Paulo Costa and Dricus du Plessis. He’s also open to rematching Brendan Allen.
“One of the things I’ve done is a DEXA scan to figure out what my lean mass is and everything, and I am a little heavy for an average middleweight,” de Ridder said. “So it is a consideration to go to light heavyweight, and I think I will in the future, but then again, I have been able to make it five times this year in 11 months, four times I did extremely well after the weight cut, I was close to being 100 percent fighting. So I do think there’s still a future for me at middleweight, although it might not be where I finish my career.”
