Overview
- The fight is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento as the main-card light heavyweight bout between Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze.
- De Ridder says multiple large cuts to make 185 pounds—five cuts in about a year—culminated in a metabolic collapse against Brendan Allen and a follow-up loss that convinced him to stop cutting and move up.
- He has changed camps and training, joining American Top Team and reporting he can eat more, recover better, and train twice a day while preparing for his 205-pound debut.
- Dolidze also moved up for health reasons and says he brings more power to 205, setting up a stylistic clash between de Ridder’s elite grappling and Dolidze’s striking force.
- Sportsbooks list de Ridder as the clear favorite and he says a spectacular win would likely fast-track him to a top-10 light heavyweight opponent while his move fuels a broader debate about extreme weight cutting in MMA.