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

Roman Dolidze is moving up to light heavyweight for a grappling-heavy matchup against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Sacramento this weekend. The Georgian middleweight, who has spent most of his UFC career at 185 pounds, believes the division plays to his physical strengths after years of difficult weight cuts.

Both fighters are renowned grapplers, making their clash a stylistic showcase. Dolidze expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity when offered the fight, saying he expects to prove his superiority in the grappling exchanges. "I think stylistically this fight is very interesting because he's also a very good grappler. 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 said at UFC Sacramento media day.

De Ridder, also a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, is making his own light heavyweight debut after back-to-back losses at middleweight. The move represents a fresh start for both fighters at 205 pounds, where neither will face the grueling weight-cut demands that plagued their middleweight runs. Dolidze's assertion that he possesses superior power sets up a compelling battle of grappling credentials and physical advantages in the light heavyweight debut matchup.