Reinier de Ridder takes a swipe at Jiri Prochazka as he resets at light heavyweight

Reinier de Ridder has made it clear that he is not buying what Jiri Prochazka is selling. In comments reported by Yahoo Sports, de Ridder described Prochazka as something that “rubs me the wrong way,” adding the phrase “ninja sh*t” while talking about the type of movement and tactics Prochazka brings to fights. For a fighter who has built his reputation around timing, control, and positional pressure, the critique points to a matchup problem he believes goes beyond technical details.

The timing of the comments matters because de Ridder’s own trajectory has taken a sharp turn. Yahoo Sports reported that de Ridder, a veteran with a 21-4 MMA record and a 4-2 UFC record, has moved back up to the light heavyweight division after back-to-back losses at 185 pounds to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho. That is a rare pivot at the elite level, and it suggests that de Ridder and his team are trying to correct a competitive equation that did not land the way it once did.

At middleweight and its surrounding classes, de Ridder’s style has often looked like a mismatch on paper. He is typically the one dictating the pace, controlling where engagements happen, and forcing opponents to win through specific sequences. But the reported sequence against Allen and Borralho indicates that, at least over two fights, the kinds of threats they posed were harder to nullify than he expected. Moving weight class is not a guarantee of improvement, but it changes the athletic baseline for everyone involved, from speed and strength relationships to how takedown entries and scrambles play out.

Prochazka, meanwhile, remains one of the UFC’s most unpredictable light heavyweight threats, known for a high-output approach and for attacking from angles that make opponents second-guess their spacing. De Ridder’s complaint, as characterized in the Yahoo Sports report, reads like an attempt to frame the matchup in psychological terms as well. When a fighter publicly flags an opponent’s “vibe,” it is often because they believe it causes timing errors, invites risky counters, or breaks defensive rhythms.

The light heavyweight landscape is built for contrast like this. De Ridder’s departure from 185 also implicitly affects how the UFC’s 205 picture can sort itself. A fighter moving up after losses is not automatically a new contender, but it can reshape what matchups are considered realistic. If de Ridder’s camp believes his best path comes at 205, they will likely prioritize opponents who can be controlled rather than those who can force open exchanges.

Still, the current information is limited to what has been reported in the Yahoo Sports piece. The report frames de Ridder’s division shift and his comments about Prochazka, but it does not provide additional verified details about a specific next opponent, timetable, or further context around the light heavyweight schedule.

What to watch next is whether de Ridder’s style translates to the heavier, longer range of light heavyweight in a way that neutralizes the elements he dislikes about Prochazka. If his grappling and pressure-based game can withstand the scramble-heavy pace at 205, the conversation could move quickly from stylistic complaints to matchup seriousness. If not, the switch could become an ongoing search for the right competitive fit.

For Prochazka, there is also a competitive subtext. Public criticism can sharpen his intent going into any potential interaction with de Ridder, especially if it comes from a former two-division ONE champion who is used to being the one dictating terms. In the light heavyweight division, those psychological edges often matter, but the final answer will still come from who can impose their game plan under pressure.