Roman Dolidze says he’s ‘much more powerful’ than Reinier de Ridder

Roman Dolidze believes his light heavyweight bout against Reinier de Ridder is an intriguing clash of styles.

Dolidze is moving up to 205 pounds after spending most of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career at middleweight. The Georgian said the division suits him physically, particularly after years of dealing with the demands of making 185 pounds.

Roman Dolidze expects his grappling and physicality to be tested against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Sacramento
Both Dolidze and de Ridder are primarily known for their grappling, and the former is excited by the matchup and opportunity to prove he’s better.

“I think stylistically this fight is very interesting because he's also a very good grappler,” Dolidze said at UFC Sacramento media day. “Tall, strong guy and not bad in striking. But I think I'm much more powerful and we'll compete, compare our grappling, let's see.”

Dolidze previously called for a fight against de Ridder when they were middleweights and he’s “very happy” the matchup has come to fruition.

“I was waiting for something, some names in 205 and he was the first name that they offered and I was very happy,” Dolidze added.

His opponent is also committing to a light heavyweight move after back-to-back losses at 185 pounds.

"Nothing can stop me."

Roman Dolidze (@RomanDolidzeUFC) starts his climb up the light heavyweight ladder against Reinier de Ridder this Saturday.

Buy tickets for #UFCSacramento 🎟️ https://t.co/vCGB2VKSqr

Fight by Fight Preview ➡️ https://t.co/3LyvFFSqACpic.twitter.com/I35T56jAIV— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 19, 2026