Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight talents Reinier de Ridder
vs. Roman Dolidze will go to war this weekend (Sat., Aug. 22, 2026) inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California for UFC Sacramento.“RDR” flew a little too close to the sun, but can we blame him? Cutting a massive amount of weight and fighting five times in 12 months at 35 years of age was never likely to end well, but it also nearly scored de Ridder a UFC title shot. Now, he seeks a new start back at 205-pounds,
though his path to gold is now longer and more arduous after consecutive defeats.
Dolidze, meanwhile, is kind of falling apart. The former dark horse contender was evicted from Middleweight by a pair of punishing losses to Anthony Hernandez and Christian Leroy Duncan in which he looked befuddled by his own lack of success. At 38 years of age, we have to wonder if Dolidze can rebound up a division or if his moment has passed.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
De Ridder vs. Dolidze Betting Odds
- Reinier de Ridder victory: -400
- Reinier de Ridder via TKO/KO/DQ: +600
- Reinier de Ridder via submission: +275
- Reinier de Ridder via decision: +125
- Roman Dolidze victory: +285
- Roman Dolidze via TKO/KO/DQ: +700
- Roman Dolidze via submission: +1800
- Roman Dolidze via decision: +850
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How de Ridder Wins
Reinier de Ridder is a fighter who uses constant offense to cover up gaps in game. A very slick grappler with wonky (but effective) kickboxing, “RDR” imposes his will by pushing a hard pace. Whether at distance, in the clinch, or on the canvas, de Ridder aims to overwhelm his opposition and find the finish.
I am expecting a clinch battle here. Both men like to finish combinations by grabbing at the body lock, which is where they like to work for takedowns. Even if one of them enters with the game plan of avoiding close quarters exchanges and winning at long range, the clinch still feels inevitable.
Fortunately, that dynamic seemingly favors de Ridder. He’s the more offensive fighter from close range, able to hurt his foes with knees and irritate them with short punches. If de Ridder and Dolidze are chest-to-chest for three full rounds, there’s little doubt who’s going to land more and better shots.
Therefore, why not initiate the clinch? I’d like to see de Ridder crashing forward with big swings and stepping knees, the kind of shots that allow him or encourage Dolidze to grab at the body. Once there, de Ridder can chip away with nonstop offense and hopefully find a takedown as well.
How Dolidze Wins
Dolidze has a very unusual mix of skills. The jiu-jitsu black belt really excels from his back, which is an absolute rarity in high-level mixed martial arts (MMA). On the feet, Dolidze is an odd mix of powerful high kicks and clubbing forward pressure, though he’s often a bit stuck in the mud.
There is a well-established path to defeating Reinier de Ridder: put him on his back! He may be an accomplished jiu-jitsu black belt, but playing bottom in MMA is just not a path to consistent success. We have seen men like Brendan Allen and Anatoly Malykhin beat up de Ridder from within his guard. Every elbow landed renders the bottom man’s submissions less viable, and Dolidze is a black belt himself.
If he minds his defense, Dolidze can be effective from top position.
The struggle may be getting “RDR” down to the floor. Dolidze has to go against his own preference and wrestle below the waist. Trying to clinch trip de Ridder would be playing into his hand, but a well-timed double along the fence could produce great results for the underdog.
De Ridder vs. Dolidze Prediction
Be prepared for fun scrambles and big trades … or the most clinch-filled fight of all time. Regardless of their new divisional home, these are Middleweights, and we all know 185-pounders love slogging it out from the over-under.
Anyway, I favor de Ridder wherever this fight goes. He has the chin to survive the occasional Dolidze connection and will throw much more on the feet. He’s the more refined and active clinch fighter, and his wrestling transitions are smoother. The risk is that de Ridder gets submitted from top position (unlikely) or that Dolidze is able to get on top repeatedly, and the latter has never been a strong suit of “The Caucasian.”
I’m not expecting a title run, but de Ridder gets it done in his 205-pound return.
