Five weight cuts in one year broke UFC Sacramento’s Reinier de Ridder — ‘Took all the fun out of fighting’

Former UFC Middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder will make his Light Heavyweight debut against Roman Dolidze at UFC Sacramento this weekend. Over the past year, de Ridder's weight cutting efforts to reach the Middleweight limit took a significant toll on his body. Standing at 6'4", de Ridder was an imposing presence at Middleweight, but the constant pressure of making the 185-pound limit took its toll.

After two losses at Middleweight, de Ridder made the difficult decision to move up to Light Heavyweight. In his last attempt at Middleweight, he mentioned that the weight cuts had taken all the fun out of training and fighting. De Ridder has been able to train twice a day during his first UFC camp at Light Heavyweight, a far cry from the grueling one-a-day schedule he endured at Middleweight.

Despite the increased workload, de Ridder is confident about his upcoming bout with Dolidze, stating he intends to "kill this motherf—ker." With no established title contenders in the Light Heavyweight division and its current champion sidelined, de Ridder sees an opportunity to make a significant impact on his UFC debut.