UFC middleweight contender believes he rushed early Octagon tenureSayan NagFeb 14, 2026Reinier de Ridderadmits that he might have fought too frequently at the beginning of hisUltimate Fighting Championshiptenure.De Ridder made his Octagon debut in November 2024 and picked up three stoppage wins within six months. “The Dutch Knight” then notched a split decision over former championRobert Whittaker. De Ridder was then scheduled to fightAnthony Hernandez, which would be his fifth contest in 11 months. However, an injured Hernandez was replaced on four weeks’ notice byBrendan Allen, who was a sizeable underdog against De Ridder. However, “All-In” laid a proper beating, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round at UFC Vancouver in October 2025.De Ridder (21-3) admits that five weight cuts and fight camps in 11 months left him drained. While De Ridder knew it would be hectic, the formerOne Championshipdouble champ was too hungry for UFC glory. De Ridder is now scheduled to fightCaio Borralho(17-2) atUFC 326on March 7 in Las Vegas. After more than a four-month gap in competition, De Ridder already feels better in camp for his upcoming matchup.“I already feel better than I felt in the fight camp for Whittaker,” De Ridder told UFC on Eurosport. “Because even then I had difficulty getting through some training sessions. I struggled with recovery, and that’s very different now… You just can’t go five fights in 11 months, five weight cuts. Train yourself to exhaustion two times a day, it doesn’t work. And I already knew this but I wanted it so badly.”
UFC middleweight contender believes he rushed early Octagon tenureSayan NagFeb 14, 2026
UFC middleweight contender believes he rushed early Octagon tenure
Reinier de Ridderadmits that he might have fought too frequently at the beginning of hisUltimate Fighting Championshiptenure.De Ridder made his Octagon debut in November 2024 and picked up three stoppage wins within six months. “The Dutch Knight” then notched a split decision over former championRobert Whittaker. De Ridder was then scheduled to fightAnthony Hernandez, which would be his fifth contest in 11 months. However, an injured Hernandez was replaced on four weeks’ notice byBrendan Allen, who was a sizeable underdog against De Ridder. However, “All-In” laid a proper beating, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round at UFC Vancouver in October 2025.De Ridder (21-3) admits that five weight cuts and fight camps in 11 months left him drained. While De Ridder knew it would be hectic, the formerOne Championshipdouble champ was too hungry for UFC glory. De Ridder is now scheduled to fightCaio Borralho(17-2) atUFC 326on March 7 in Las Vegas. After more than a four-month gap in competition, De Ridder already feels better in camp for his upcoming matchup.“I already feel better than I felt in the fight camp for Whittaker,” De Ridder told UFC on Eurosport. “Because even then I had difficulty getting through some training sessions. I struggled with recovery, and that’s very different now… You just can’t go five fights in 11 months, five weight cuts. Train yourself to exhaustion two times a day, it doesn’t work. And I already knew this but I wanted it so badly.”
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