“RDR” isn’t talking about rankings — he’s talking about redemption.
No. 8-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Reinier de Ridder returns this weekend (Sat., March 7, 2026) in the co-main event of UFC 326 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he meets Caio Borralho — who is also looking to get back in the win column.
De Ridder’s 2025 campaign was nearly storybook. The former two-division ONE champion stormed through the division with statement wins over Kevin Holland,
Bo Nickal (watch highlights), and Robert Whittaker, putting himself on the fast track to title contention.
Then it unraveled.
Headlining UFC Vancouver against Brendan Allen, de Ridder entered as the favorite, with many already looking ahead to a potential showdown with Khamzat Chimaev for the Middleweight crown. Instead, his body betrayed him. After visibly fading, he was eventually finished — and immediately labeled “fraud” by critics.
According to de Ridder, the explanation was far more serious than a bad night at the office.
“Just on all levels, my bloodwork and everything was trash,” he said during UFC 326 media day. “Everything was bad. But mostly standing out was that I had severe anemia — very, very low red blood cell count. Just worked my body to shit basically.”
Despite the medical explanation, fans and fighters alike questioned his toughness, suggesting he quit under pressure. That narrative clearly stuck with him.
“It is 100 percent redemption for this fight,” de Ridder said. “I want to prove that I found my body back. I want to prove that I’m still the guy that I was before what happened…I figured out what was wrong with my body and that will be the biggest difference in this fight.”
Borralho presents another stiff test, and there’s no easing back into contention. But for de Ridder, this weekend isn’t about title eliminators or future matchups.
It’s about proving the collapse in Vancouver was an anomaly — not the truth.
For much more on this weekend’s UFC 326 card click here.
