# De Ridder Stops Dolidze After Two-Fight Skid

**By Rosa Delgado**  \nPublished August 23, 2026  \nUpdated September 9, 2026

> Following a difficult two-fight skid in the middleweight division, Reinier de Ridder redirected his trajectory at UFC Sacramento on August 22, 2026, defeating Roman Dolidze at Golden 1 Center.

When fighters stumble through the upper tiers of a loaded UFC division, the margin for error evaporates overnight. For Reinier de Ridder and Roman Dolidze, the journey to the Golden 1 Center on August 22, 2026, carried the heavy weight of recent failure. Both men stepped into the Octagon at UFC Sacramento looking to halt identical two-fight skids, turning what could have been a standard divisional showcase into a desperate battle for momentum.

De Ridder’s path to this crossroads had been uniquely volatile. After transitioning to the UFC in 2024 following a dominant run as a two-division champion in ONE Championship, "The Dutch Knight" tore through his first four middleweight assignments. He handed Bo Nickal his career-first defeat and out-pointed former champion Robert Whittaker via split decision, rocketing toward a title opportunity. Yet, the sport exacts a toll at the elite level. Consecutive setbacks—a TKO loss to Brendan Allen followed by a unanimous decision defeat against Caio Borralho at UFC 326 in March—prompted de Ridder to abandon the 185-pound weight cut and return to light heavyweight.

Dolidze faced a parallel crisis. A fixture of the UFC middleweight rankings since his 2020 debut, Dolidze hit a wall with back-to-back losses against Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vegas 109 and Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC London. Seeking relief from the physical strain of middleweight and hoping to rekindle past success, Dolidze shifted up to 205 pounds, a weight class where he historically posted a spotless 3-0 octagon record, highlighted by a 2024 decision victory over one-time title challenger Anthony Smith.

The stylistic backdrop of de Ridder's arrival in the division had already sparked conversation outside the cage. Ahead of the Sacramento card, the Dutch fighter pulled no punches regarding the division's hierarchy or its inhabitants, openly dismissing Jiří Procházka’s trademark bushido ethos. Jiří mi nesedí s těmi ninja věcmi. Je toho moc. Působí to strašně falešně, de Ridder remarked in an interview with Full Mount MMA, translating his skepticism of the Czech contender's public persona while pointing to Magomed Ankalaev as the true benchmark of the 205-pound weight class.

Instead of looking too far ahead toward Ankalaev or newly crowned champion Carlos Ulberg—who secured the vacant light-heavyweight strap by knocking out Procházka in the first round at UFC 327 in Miami—de Ridder first had to survive Dolidze's calculated power. By stopping Dolidze in Sacramento, de Ridder successfully stabilized his UFC standing, proving that his transition away from middleweight was not merely a reaction to past losses, but a viable sanctuary where his grappling pedigree and frame can operate without depletion.

## Sources

- [mmamag.cz](https://www.mmamag.cz/de-ridder-se-pustil-do-prochazky-jeho-ninja-styl-oznacil-za-falesny/) — original
- [mmafighting.com](https://www.mmafighting.com/latest-news/497687/reinier-de-ridder-makes-light-heavyweight-return-against-and-roman-dolidze-at-ufc-sacramento) — original
- [mmamania.com](https://www.mmamania.com/upcoming-ufc-events/454800/reinier-de-ridder-vs-roman-dolidze-ufc-sacramento-august) — original