Former ONE FC champion Reinier de Ridder of the Netherlands has criticized extreme weight cutting in mixed martial arts, explaining that the practice drove his move up to the UFC's light heavyweight division. The fighter, who holds a record of 21 wins and 4 losses, made the comments in an interview reported by MMA Fighting and cited by AllBoxing.ru.
De Ridder said that during his last several fights, he told himself each time that it would be the final weight cut, because the process was always difficult. He said the strain was not limited to fight week but extended through training camp, making it hard to recover between sessions. He said he had to sharply restrict his calorie intake, which left him drained of energy.
Frequent fights compounded the problem
De Ridder said the issue was made worse by how often he was competing. Since his UFC debut, he had fought every two to three months. He said he believes his recent losses to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho were a direct result of the exhaustion caused by cutting weight so frequently.
ONE FC, where de Ridder previously held a championship, is a Singapore-based mixed martial arts promotion, while the UFC is the sport's largest global organization. The light heavyweight division in the UFC carries a higher weight limit than the middleweight class de Ridder is leaving behind, a category shift fighters sometimes make to ease the burden of cutting weight.
First fight at light heavyweight
De Ridder was set to make his UFC light heavyweight debut on the night of August 23 against Georgian fighter Roman Dolidze, who holds a record of 15 wins and 5 losses. The bout was scheduled as part of UFC Fight Night 285 in Sacramento, with the main card set to begin at 03:00 Moscow time.
