UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder has opened up about the health issues that plagued his performance against Brendan Allen, revealing surprising details about his testosterone levels and overall physical condition leading into that fight.
Speaking on Submission Radio, de Ridder disclosed the results of comprehensive blood work that painted a concerning picture of his health. “Two weeks after the fight, the regenerate guys helped me to get a very complete blood panel. Testosterone, all the lipids and everything. And basically, everything was trash,” de Ridder explained.
When pressed for more specifics about his testosterone levels, the Dutch star didn’t hold back. “The testosterone of a pre-puberty girl,” he stated, before clarifying, “No, I’m not shy. I’m just exaggerating. But like very low testosterone. Very high inflammation markers and stuff.”
De Ridder detailed how his condition deteriorated in the months following his loss to Allen. “Since the fight I’ve basically felt like s**t for two months. Still tired as last time we spoke. Walking up the stairs would wasn’t able to finish a training session. Wasn’t able to recover. If I would train, I would feel like s**t for days after.”
De Ridder’s blood work revealed multiple concerning issues beyond just testosterone. “I just worked myself into the gutter. That’s basically what it comes down to. I trained way too hard, did too many weight cuts, and I just f**ked my body up all the way,” he admitted.
The former ONE Championship double champion also discovered he was dealing with severe anemia. “Two weeks before the fight, once a year they have to do blood work routinely because of the commissions and stuff… In those numbers my red blood cell count was basically in the trash. Really really bad anemia.”
De Ridder acknowledged that his approach to monitoring his health had been inadequate. “This is dumb on my part, but I never did this routinely. I never got my blood work done. I never did any performance testing. I just went into the fight and try to figure it out as I went.”
Working with the supplement company Regenerate and implementing new recovery protocols, including hypoxia hyperoxia training to boost red blood cell production, de Ridder reports significant improvement.
He said, “This week of training was the first full week of training that I’ve been going hard twice a day in a very long time. Even back at the Robert Whitaker camp, two fights ago, I wasn’t really able to push the way I normally can and like I’m doing now.”
The 34-year-old becomes emotional discussing his recovery. “It’s amazing. I almost get emotional talking about it because I finally have my body back.”
De Ridder now prepares to face Caio Borralho at UFC 326 in March, determined to prove his loss to Allen was an anomaly caused by severe health issues rather than a true reflection of his abilities.
