Reinier de Ridder vows to 'kill' Roman at UFC Sacramento
Reinier de Ridder says he plans to finish Roman Dolidze at UFC Sacramento after calling the light heavyweight bout a perfect matchup and vowing, in blunt terms, that he is going to kill his opponent. Both fighters move up from middleweight on Saturday's main card.
Key Takeaways
- De Ridder told MMA Junkie he will "kill this motherf*cker" in his clash with Roman.
- Both men move to 205 pounds for UFC Fight Night 285 at Golden 1 Center on Aug. 22, 2026.
- Five middleweight cuts in a year left de Ridder broken down and drained the fun from fighting.
- He is a heavy betting favorite; MMA Mania leans toward a decision in his light heavyweight return.
The Dutch grappler (21-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) faces Roman Dolidze (15-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on the Paramount+ main card in Sacramento, Calif. The quote is trash talk with stakes: de Ridder wants a spectacular finish and a path back toward ranked company after a two-fight skid.
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Why Did De Ridder Target Roman With That Line?
Asked about the booking, de Ridder called Roman a veteran who spent a long stretch in the middleweight top 10 and labeled the fight "a perfect matchup." He said it gives him time after the bout to put on more mass at light heavyweight.
Then came the closer: "I don't know. I'm just going to kill this motherf*cker." He framed Saturday as a reset toward the grappling and pace that defined his rise before losses to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho.
What Do Five Weight Cuts Have to Do With Roman?
De Ridder blamed those setbacks largely on cutting to 185. At 6-foot-4, he often walked around near 215 pounds and shed roughly 30 pounds for middleweight. Five successful cuts in his first UFC year, per Yahoo Sports, wrecked recovery.
"It came with so many problems — the weight cuts," he said. "My body was gone, broken down after all those cuts. It took all the fun out of training camps. It took all the fun out of fighting." Against Allen he described a metabolic crash; versus Borralho he fought cautiously and lost a decision. Moving up means cutting about 20 pounds less and training twice a day again.
Who Is Favored When Roman Faces De Ridder?
Roman arrives after middleweight losses to Anthony Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan and is also stepping up to light heavyweight for this card. FanDuel lists de Ridder around -400 and Roman +285. An MMA Mania preview favors de Ridder via decision, citing clinch volume and pace, while noting Roman's jiu-jitsu and top-control path if he can put RDR on his back.
De Ridder says every fight is the biggest and that a highlight finish could set up a top-10 opponent next. With less scale stress, he plans to stay active and "show what I can do now" against Roman on fight night.