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.

Tyron
Woodley believes he can teach Joaquin
Buckley how to win.

Woodley took on Buckley in a wrestling match at RAF 12 at Rocket
Arena in Cleveland. Buckley looked substantially bigger than
Woodley, having missed weight by a whopping seven pounds. While he
took an early 8-0 lead in the first period, Woodley came from
behind to win 14-8.

Woodley believes Buckley has what it takes to become a UFC
champion despite consecutive losses

Woodley later revealed that he has offered to help Buckley in
training. He recalls his late coach, Duke Roufus, calling himself a
winning coach, as opposed to just a striking coach. Woodley
believes he can help optimize Buckley's skill set just like Roufus
had done for him. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champ also sees a
future UFC titleholder in Buckley.

“The first time I was behind, I staged a comeback and won the
fight,†Woodley told MMA Fighting. “For me, it was big, big
motivation and confidence boost for my career. Cause that's never
happened before… It's a win over a hungry welterweight, somebody
that I think has what it takes to be a UFC champion. And I offered
him, I said, ‘I can help you get there, brother.' Duke Roufus,
bless his soul, was like, ‘I’m not your striking coach; I’m your
winning coach.' He took my tools and my attributes and he showed me
how to make fighting a little bit easier. I know I can do that for
Joaquin. If he really wants to take me up on that. And I feel like
he has what it takes to be a UFC champ.â€

While Buckley was riding an impressive six-fight winning streak in
2024, “New Mansa†has since suffered consecutive losses against
Kamaru
Usman and Sean
Brady.

Meanwhile, Woodley defended the UFC welterweight title four times
before losing to Usman in 2019. “The Chosen One†never won in the
UFC again and parted ways with the promotion on a four-fight slump
in 2021. Woodley never officially announced his retirement from MMA
and competed in boxing matches before his RAF debut. The former
two-time All-American is now scheduled to face Khamzat
Chimaev in a wrestling match at RAF Moscow on Sept. 5.

Tyron
Woodley invites Joaquin
Buckley to train with him after #RAF12:

“I can help you get there, brother. Duke Roufus, bless his soul,
was like, ‘I’m not your striking coach, I’m your winning coach. I
know I can do that for Joaquin.”

(🎥: @mikeHeck_JR)
pic.twitter.com/4hu3QxGl0B

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
August 23, 2026

Patricio
Freire hopes to continue competing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship after his current contract
ends.

Freire (37-9) is scheduled to fight Doo Ho Choi
(17-4) at UFC
331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The
Brazilian recently revealed that his fight with Choi is the final
bout on his current UFC contract and he's expecting a renewal
should he emerge victorious.

Patricio Freire wants to re-sign with the UFC after facing Doo
Ho Choi at UFC 331

Many former Bellator
stars have struggled in the UFC lately, with Patrick Mix
already out of the promotion, Michael
Page yet to find a finish and Aaron Pico
getting viciously knocked out in his Octagon debut. Freire hasn't
fared well either, going 1-2 since joining the promotion.
Nevertheless, “Pitbull†wants to stay in the UFC, which he
reiterated in a recent interview with Home of Fight.

“I think this is the last one,†Friere said. “I want to stay [in
the UFC]. I'm going to win this fight and I'm going to renew the
contract.â€

Freire's UFC debut was foiled by Yair
Rodriguez last year. While the 39-year-old rebounded with a
hard-fought decision win over Dan Ige, he has
since suffered a decision loss to Pico.

💥 Patricio “Pitbull†reveals his fight with
Choi Doo-ho at UFC 331 is the final bout on his contract—but hopes
to re-sign with the UFC after a big win.

“This is the last [fight] on my contract right now I believe.

I'm going to win my fight and get a new contract, that's the…
pic.twitter.com/csb5aFfSNS

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
August 23, 2026