Reinier de Ridder opens up about UFC light heavyweight debut against Roman Dolidze at UFC Sacramento

Reinier de Ridder has shed light on his highly anticipated move up in weight -- going from the UFC middleweight (185-pound) to the UFC light heavyweight (205-pound) division. 

"The Dutch Knight" has previously competed at 205 pounds in his MMA career. A veteran of the ONE Championship MMA organization, de Ridder notched the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight titles.

It's noteworthy that the ONE middleweight division refers to its 205-pound weight class, whereas light heavyweight in ONE Championship is the 225-pound weight class. 

ONE Championship veteran Reinier de Ridder affirms that he's reinvigorated after moving from middleweight to light heavyweight in the UFC

Currently, Reinier de Ridder is booked to face fellow former UFC middleweight contender Roman Dolidze. They'll clash in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC Sacramento, an event which is set to be held at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on August 22. 

During a recent conversation with Shakiel Mahjouri on UFC on Paramount, de Ridder addressed his upcoming fight, which would mark his UFC light heavyweight debut. 

Reiterating his stance that the grueling weight cuts to 185 pounds were depleting him, he suggested that his light heavyweight move has reinvigorated his body and holistically benefited him. De Ridder stated: 

"Yeah, be able to push more, grapple more, wrestle more, and be like myself more; like I was in the first couple of UFC fights. I just pushed my body too far -- too many weight cuts, too many training camps in too short of a period of time."

Alluding that he's able to eat adequately, "RdR" said, "And just to be able to feed myself during training camp -- I've been able to push hard twice a day for eight weeks now. And I'm gonna show that off Saturday." 

Watch Reinier de Ridder discuss his UFC light heavyweight debut below (*comments at the 3:05-minute mark of the video): 

UFC Sacramento fighter Reinier de Ridder joins the likes of middleweight veterans like Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa

Reinier de Ridder isn't the only notable name from the UFC middleweight division who's lately transitioned to the UFC light heavyweight realm.

His former opponent, ex-UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, whom he outpointed last year, also recently made a triumphant light heavyweight debut. Moreover, one-time UFC middleweight championship challenger Paulo Costa also found tremendous success in his entry into the 205-pound ranks. 

As for de Ridder, his UFC promotional debut witnessed him swiftly establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. He impressively accrued a four-fight win streak. However, that ended when he suffered his first UFC loss, as he was stopped via TKO by Brendan Allen late last year. 

The Dutch combatant's next, and most recent, fight saw him on the wrong end of a unanimous decision verdict against Caio Borralho earlier this year. The pair of setbacks against Allen and Borralho at middleweight precipitated his move to 205 pounds. He's vowed to make a statement by dominantly beating Roman Dolidze in their much-awaited showdown this Saturday.