Reinier de Ridder generated massive hype as a serious middleweight contender. However, the Dutchman’s loss to Caio Borralho at UFC 326 dealt a heavy blow to his 185-lbs title ambitions. After that monumental defeat, fans started asking one big question: What’s ‘RDR’s next move? Well, it looks like he has decided to follow the recent middleweight trend.

While handing out donuts to his teammates at Xtreme Couture, De Ridder even asked them to get a little bigger. The reason? He plans to move up to light heavyweight and challenge even bigger opponents.

“I wanna say, thank you guys for all the help,” ‘RDR’ said in an Instagram clip. “I came up a little short. I think it could’ve gone either way. I’m happy that I got my body back. Most importantly, I was able to go three hard rounds, and I think I have a lot more to show. I brought you guys donuts, because I need you guys heavy. I need you guys strong. Cause I’m coming at 205, baby.”

Well, ‘The Dutch Knight’ might currently be at the lowest point of his UFC career as he rides a two-fight losing streak against middleweight contenders. So, a move to 205 lbs seems like a natural transition. However, Reinier de Ridder isn’t the only 185-pounder thinking about that jump. First, Paulo Costa shifted to light heavyweight and will fight Azamat Murzakanov on the UFC 327 main card. Following the Brazilian, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker also hinted at a permanent move up.

In that sense, with two middleweights already eyeing the 205-lbs division, De Ridder is simply following the trend. But this trend could actually work in his favor. If you remember, ‘RDR’ was once a light heavyweight champion in ONE Championship, and won that title by submitting Vitaly Bigdash at ONE 159. Hence, it means that he already has experience competing at that weight.

Now that Reinier de Ridder has made up his mind about the move, let’s take a look at three fighters who could welcome him to the light heavyweight division.

Top three fights for Reinier de Ridder’s UFC light-heavyweight debut

As ‘RDR’ plans to take on the 205-lbs fighters, we have to accept that even though the Dutchman has dropped two fights in a row, he is still a big name. With that in mind, De Ridder’s next opponent at light heavyweight should also carry some star power. At least that is what fans would hope for, and there are three fighters who could easily fit that criteria.

First, fans could be thrilled if the UFC books him in a fight against Bogdan Guskov at a future event. Currently, ‘Hitman’ is on a four-fight winning streak and recently fought to a draw with Jan Blachowicz at UFC 323. So De Ridder, facing a dangerous striker like Guskov, could easily steal the show. If not, he could definitely be part of another exciting showdown against Aleksandar Rakic.

To be fair, the Serbian has lost four fights in a row, but all of them came against elite competition. However, those losses don’t diminish Rakic’s firepower inside the Octagon. The 34-year-old’s last fight was a first-round knockout loss to Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321, and Reinier de Ridder could serve as a solid comeback fight that would thoroughly entertain the crowd.

Lastly, if none of these options materialize, the UFC could certainly look at booking ‘RDR’ against Volkan Oezdemir. Yes, the former light heavyweight title challenger remains a well-known name and recently scored a strong win over Alonzo Menifield. A clash between him and De Ridder could bring some much-needed violence to any card.

That said, what do you think about Reinier de Ridder’s move to light heavyweight? Is it the right decision for him? Let us know in the comments section below.