Reinier de Ridder’s ONE dual-champ run was a grappling dissertation. In the UFC the pocket has been more expensive — Whittaker sat him down — but the wrestling and the body-triangle still grade elite against almost everyone at 205. Roman Dolidze is not almost everyone. He is a sambo player with knockout power in both hands, a decent defensive grappling base, and a habit of making people pay for lazy entries.

If de Ridder gets the fight down without eating a shot, this becomes a long night for Dolidze. If de Ridder has to shoot from too far as a reaction to being outstruck, Dolidze’s uppercut is the counter the Dutchman has already paid for once. The model leans de Ridder because the grappling gap is large and Dolidze’s finishing of elite grapplers is still more highlight than sample. The lean is not a lock. Light heavyweight power compresses skill gaps. Ages on fight night: de Ridder 35, Dolidze 38.