Did Sean Strickland steal a method from Reinier de Ridder? Reinier de Ridder is getting into UFC 326 with a smile and some extent to show, and he’s doing it on one of many greatest phases the promotion has put collectively this yr. The cardboard goes down on March 7, 2026, at T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas, headlined by Max Holloway defending his BMF title in a light-weight rematch in opposition to Charles Oliveira. Slotted within the middleweight co-main, de Ridder meets Caio Borralho in a matchup that has “grappling chaos with knees to the physique” written throughout it.
Reinier de Ridder calls out Sean Strickland for stealing his physique shot secrets and techniques
UFC 326 is constructed as a showcase occasion: Holloway brings the BMF belt he first grabbed with a walk-off knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and later saved by beating Dustin Poirier, whereas Oliveira arrives as a former light-weight champion nonetheless firmly lodged close to the highest of the rankings. Beneath that, the promotion has caught in a high-stakes middleweight conflict between de Ridder and Borralho, a fellow finisher with 5 knockouts and 4 submissions amongst his 17 wins.
De Ridder’s id is constructed on submissions and suffocating grappling, however he’s carved out a neat little model along with his knees to the physique. That element immediately feels topical after Sean Strickland’s recent win over Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, the place the previous champion broke open a aggressive combat with a vicious knee to the midsection in Spherical 3 earlier than swarming for the TKO. Hernandez visibly folded from the shot, backed to the fence, and Strickland pounced with punches till the referee stepped in.
Watching that, de Ridder had jokes prepared. Speaking with Emiel Sardarean on YouTube, the Dutchman half-claimed credit score for the blueprint, declaring that Hernandez has a recurring difficulty with physique pictures and hinting that Strickland might need taken a web page out of his playbook.
“Yeah. That was undoubtedly the plan. He will get harm to the physique nearly each time. So that you’re welcome, Sean, for stealing my methods.”
From there he broke down the combat with a stage head, giving Strickland his due on the toes and within the wrestling exchanges.
“I actually just like the combat. I assumed Sean did wonderful. On the toes, Sean is so fast with the jab and he largely throws straight pictures. Fluffy throws spherical pictures and I sort of anticipated Sean to be faster. I didn’t count on him to take action effectively within the takedown protection. It was very onerous for Fluffy to get near Sean in any respect. I believe Fluffy solely shot like a few times and didn’t actually decide to the double. I used to be shocked by that. The end with the knee was stunning. That was very cool. It felt like Fluffy wasn’t actually in a position to get began.”
De Ridder arrives at UFC 326 coming off a setback to Brendan Allen that uncovered some defensive gaps over prolonged rounds, however his submission price and talent to punish errors nonetheless make him an issue for a lot of the division. Borralho, in the meantime, is the sort of opponent who forces changes: a well-rounded middleweight with a historical past of post-fight bonuses and ending instincts of his personal. Put these components collectively on the identical card as Holloway–Oliveira 2 for the BMF strap, and de Ridder’s working joke about physique knees immediately doubles as a warning label for anybody sharing the cage with him at UFC 326.
