Reinier de Ridder makes weight change following UFC 326 loss to Caio Borralho: “I’m coming at 205”

Reinier de Ridder will be making quite the change after falling short in his recent UFC 326 outing.

This past Saturday, de Ridder shared the Octagon with Caio Borralho inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was a chance for the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder to rebound from his corner stoppage loss against Brendan Allen. After three rounds of action, de Ridder was defeated by Borralho via unanimous decision.

Despite the loss, de Ridder is in good spirits. He posted an Instagram video where he gave donuts to his teammates. “The Dutch Knight” then revealed that his next move will be a jump to the light heavyweight division.

“I came up a little short,” de Ridder said. “I think it could have gone either way but I’m happy that I got my body back most importantly. I was able to go three hard rounds. I think I have a lot more to show.

“I brought you guys donuts because I need you guys heavy, I need you guys strong because I’m coming at 205 [pounds], baby.”

It might be the perfect time for de Ridder to make the change to 205 pounds. The UFC Light Heavyweight Championship has been vacated. A new titleholder will be crowned at UFC 327 on April 11. Former champion Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg will collide with the 205-pound gold at stake.

There will be plenty of fresh matchups for de Ridder in the light heavyweight division. Since de Ridder is coming off two straight losses, it’ll be interesting to see how UFC matchmakers will use “The Dutch Knight” at 205 pounds. The 35-year-old leaves the middleweight division as the No. 8-ranked 185-pounder under the UFC banner.

Do you think moving up to the light heavyweight division is a good move for Reinier de Ridder? Let us know in the comments below.