Reinier
de Ridder claims that the fight week ahead of his bout against
Caio
Borralho was the worst of his career.

The Dutchman suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss in a
middleweight matchup against Borralho this past March, his last
outing at 185 pounds. He recently revealed that he had already
decided to move up to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division
during fight week ahead of that bout.

De Ridder decided to leave middleweight during his weight cut
before facing Caio Borralho

The former two-division One
Championship titleholder recently recalled the days leading up
to the defeat to Borralho. He was coming off a stoppage loss to
Brendan
Allen, in which he visibly gassed out, prompting a corner
stoppage before the final round. “The Dutch Knight†has now
revealed that the weight cut for the Borralho fight was even worse
than the one that preceded the Allen bout.

“It was before the fight, during the weight cut I said, ‘This is
the last time. I'm never gonna do this again,'†de Ridder told Full
Send MMA. “That week was the worst fight week I've ever had.
Everything went wrong. That fight week was the worst week I've ever
had… Even worse than the Vancouver week. Nothing medical stuff,
wasn't a hospital, I don't want to make up any excuses, but it
wasn't good.â€

He finally moved up to 205 pounds for good against Roman
Dolidze at
UFC Sacramento, scoring a first-round stoppage to return to
winning ways.

Reinier
de Ridder admits he knew before the fight with Caio
Borralho he was leaving middleweight

“It was before the fight, during the weight cut I said I'm never
doing this again. Everything went wrong. That fight week was the
worst week I've ever had†pic.twitter.com/WZBmZR1XgB

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma)
August 23, 2026

Jorge
Masvidal is teasing some “big news†about a potential return to
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Masvidal recently revealed that he is in talks with the UFC about a
return to the Octagon. “Gamebred†claims negotiations are
progressing positively, with the possibility of a major
announcement soon. The former BMF champ is eyeing a return by the
end of this year or early next year.

Masvidal says negotiations with the UFC are getting closer as
he eyes a fight with Leon Edwards

Masvidal is waiting for the right opponent and payday to be
negotiated for his return. He expressed interest in a matchup
against Leon
Edwards to settle their old rivalry.

“I've been talking to the UFC,†Masvidal told MMA Junkie. “Could be
this year, could be early next year. We've been talking for a
little bit and the numbers are getting closer and closer and better
and better. So, there might be some big news coming soon… Once we
get the right name and the right number attached to that, you'll
see your boy right back here at the T-Mobile Arena. Leon is
definitely somebody that I would like to get back in with and just
close that chapter out.â€

While Masvidal never tasted UFC gold, he remains a fan favorite.
His five-second flying knee knockout of Ben Askren in
2019 remains the fastest knockout in UFC history.

Masvidal's beef with Edwards started shortly before that knockout.
He put Darren Till
to sleep in a huge upset in London, and when he was doing a
post-fight interview backstage, Edwards called him out. Masvidal
calmly walked towards Edwards and blasted him with a four-punch
combo that had “Rocky†bleeding.

Jorge
Masvidal hints that big news could be coming soon regarding his
UFC return, and names Leon
Edwards as an opponent he'd like to face 👀 (via @jeroguerra10)
pic.twitter.com/oUtSDshjiy

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie)
August 23, 2026

Jorge
Masvidal gave Leon
Edwards the three-piece and a soda, 6 years ago ðŸ—🥤pic.twitter.com/XjX84GvvrC

— MMA On Point (@mmaonpoint)
March 16, 2025

Roman
Dolidze is taking his loss to Reinier
de Ridder well.

Dolidze moved back up to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division to
take on Reinier
de Ridder (22-4) at
UFC Sacramento. Dolidze shot for a takedown in the opening
seconds, but de Ridder got the better of the Georgian in the
wrestling exchange. The former One
Championship titleholder then established top control and
landed unanswered ground-and-pound to secure a stoppage in the
opening round.

Dolidze accepts criticism after his first-round loss to Reinier
de Ridder at UFC Sacramento

Dolidze has since released a statement addressing his loss to de
Ridder. He is ready to admit that he let down his fans, especially
from his home country, and acknowledges that failure is a part of
the game.

“Hello. I know you are anxious — I was anxious too,†Dolidze wrote
on Instagram. “But there is one thing I want to tell you: Failure
is nothing to be ashamed of. I know today's battle didn't go well.
I know many had different expectations of me, and I may have let
you down. I am neither afraid to admit this nor do I shy away from
it. I fight on behalf of Georgia, and when I win, your joy is my
joy too. But when I lose—that, too, is part of the sport. No one
enters the UFC with a guaranteed victory; every time, you face
someone who is trying to defeat you.â€

Dolidze is even ready to accept criticism and advice about his
performance.

“You may criticize my fight,†he added. “You might say I made the
wrong decisions or should have performed better; as an athlete, I
accept this and will analyze it. I lost the fight. I did not lose
my country, my dignity, or my path. See you in Georgia on Sept.
19.â€

This was Dolidze's (15-6) third straight defeat. Meanwhile, de
Ridder rebounded from back-to-back losses at middleweight with the
win over Dolidze.