“I Was Still Afraid”: Reinier de Ridder Opens Up on the Mental Scar the Brendan Allen Loss Left Behind

Reinier de Ridder never hid behind excuses after losing to Brendan Allen by corner stoppage in October 2025. He claimed he rushed heavy shots and eventually gassed out. 

Unfortunately, RDR lost another bout to Caio Borralho. And after this setback, RDR was open about something most fighters wouldn't admit: the Allen loss got inside his head. 

Reiner De Ridder Admits Suffering Mentally After His First UFC Loss

During an interview with Full Mount MMA, Reinier de Ridder revealed his situation after his first UFC loss. “Looking back, still in my mind after the Brendan Allen fight, it was hard to really push because I still had like a little bit of doubt making weight again,” he said. 

In his next fight after the Allen loss, RDR faced Caio Borralho at UFC 326. Keeping his past mistakes in mind, RDR underperformed and ultimately lost on the judges' scorecards by unanimous decision. 

“I had a very bad fight week against, in the Caio fight. I was pretty scared to get tired again, like I did in the Brendan fight,” RDR revealed, talking about the loss. 

Revealing what went wrong in the next bout, RDR said, “And he kind of, with his footwork moving back as quickly as he did every time I stepped in, it kind of got me with that. But it was very close, very competitive, could have gone either way.”

While RDR claimed that it was a close fight, all three judges scored Borralho 30-27 in all three rounds, indicating that he dominated. 

RDR Is Done With the Middleweight

Reinier de Ridder entered the UFC near the end of 2024 and won in his debut. He stayed undefeated for four fights, three of which were finishes. 

However, the following two losses appeared to have taken a toll on him. Finally, after the losses and physical damage caused by rigorous weight cuts, RDR decided to move to the light heavyweight division. 

He is currently booked to fight Roman Dolidze on the main card of UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues in California on 22nd August. 

This move makes sense, though, since RDR was a two-division champion, middleweight and light heavyweight, at ONE. And he won’t have to endure the savage weight cuts. Thus, the jump to 205 lbs doesn’t seem like a setback. Instead, it means RDR will be back to where he is meant to be.