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Four days removed from quitting on the stool, Reinier de Ridder has broken his silence after his tough loss at UFC Fight Night 262.
De Ridder was considered the frontrunner for the next UFC middleweight title shot had he beaten Brendan Allen in this past Saturday’s main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Instead, de Ridder came up empty as Allen wore him down and ultimately forced de Ridder’s corner to throw in the towel after the fourth round.
On Wednesday, de Ridder addressed the devastating defeat for the first time with a video and statement on Instagram, in which he expressed pushing his physical limits too far in preparation of the fight.
“I was not the best fighter in the cage saturday and it stings,” de Ridder wrote. “But next to all the crazy highs I am also grateful to experience the lows. So many people go through life at a constant 6/10 but as a fighter we get to experience the full set of options.
“If we have shared the mats you know I tend to work more and harder than anybody else. But over the last 2 camps I might have exaggerated a little bit. I was so focused on getting that title and being ready once the chance came that I failed to listen to my body and last Saturday that showed. I shall not stray the course but daddy is taking some time of kids. I was not myself but I will be again. If you know me, you know what I’m coming for. Be nice out there and see you soon.”
The loss to Allen was de Ridder’s fifth fight in less than a year since making his UFC debut last November. The former ONE Championship two-division title holder was victorious in his first four octagon appearances against Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal, and former champion Robert Whittaker.
De Ridder originally was slated to meet Anthony Hernandez, who was forced to withdraw less than a month away from the fight. Allen stepped in on short notice and made the most of the opportunity at de Ridder’s expense
