Former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder says he plans to make his light heavyweight debut as soon as this summer. The 35-year-old Dutch contender announced the move after his latest setback at middleweight.
After coming up short against Caio Borralho at UFC 326 in March, Reinier de Ridder is already looking ahead to his next chapter. The former ONE Championship two-division champion said this week that he intends to debut at light heavyweight this summer, signaling a quick reset after back-to-back losses at 185 pounds. For a fighter whose game has long been built around pressure grappling and size, the move could be a natural one as he searches for a better fit on the UFC roster.
“When is the light heavyweight debut planned? In the summer, as soon as possible,” de Ridder wrote on X.
De Ridder dropped a unanimous decision to Borralho at UFC 326, with all three judges scoring it 30-27 for the Brazilian. The defeat marked his second straight loss at middleweight, a rough turn after he opened his UFC run with four consecutive victories and quickly put himself on the radar as a serious threat.
The shift to 205 pounds carries real intrigue in the current UFC landscape. Light heavyweight remains a division where a strong run can move a name into contention quickly, and de Ridder’s submission-first style would give matchmakers an interesting contrast against the more striking-heavy tier of contenders. If he looks stronger and more durable at the higher weight, he could become a legitimate dark horse. If the same issues follow him up a division, the middleweight losses may start to look more like a ceiling than a detour.
From an American MMA perspective, this is the kind of move fans usually welcome: a proven finisher changing divisions before his window closes. At 35, de Ridder does not have much time to build momentum, so his first matchup at light heavyweight will matter immediately. The next step is simple — find out whether a move to 205 revives his UFC push or confirms that his best path to title relevance has already passed.
