Did Sean Strickland steal a technique from Reinier de Ridder? Reinier de Ridder is stepping into UFC 326 with a grin and a point to prove, and he’s doing it on one of the biggest stages the promotion has put together this year. The card goes down on March 7, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by Max Holloway defending his BMF title in a lightweight rematch against Charles Oliveira. Slotted in the middleweight co-main, de Ridder meets Caio Borralho in a matchup that has “grappling chaos with knees to the body” written all over it.
Reinier de Ridder calls out Sean Strickland for stealing his body shot secrets
UFC 326 is built as a showcase event: Holloway brings the BMF belt he first grabbed with a walk-off knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and later kept by beating Dustin Poirier, while Oliveira arrives as a former lightweight champion still firmly lodged near the top of the rankings. Beneath that, the promotion has stuck in a high-stakes middleweight clash between de Ridder and Borralho, a fellow finisher with five knockouts and four submissions among his 17 wins.
De Ridder’s identity is built on submissions and suffocating grappling, but he’s carved out a neat little brand with his knees to the body. That detail suddenly feels topical after Sean Strickland’s recent win over Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, where the former champion broke open a competitive fight with a vicious knee to the midsection in Round 3 before swarming for the TKO. Hernandez visibly folded from the shot, backed to the fence, and Strickland pounced with punches until the referee stepped in.
Watching that, de Ridder had jokes ready. Speaking with Emiel Sardarean on YouTube, the Dutchman half-claimed credit for the blueprint, pointing out that Hernandez has a recurring issue with body shots and hinting that Strickland might have taken a page out of his playbook.
“Yeah. That was definitely the plan. He gets hurt to the body almost every time. So you’re welcome, Sean, for stealing my techniques.”
From there he broke down the fight with a level head, giving Strickland his due on the feet and in the wrestling exchanges.
“I really like the fight. I thought Sean did amazing. On the feet, Sean is so quick with the jab and he mostly throws straight shots. Fluffy throws round shots and I kind of expected Sean to be quicker. I didn’t expect him to do so well in the takedown defense. It was very hard for Fluffy to get close to Sean at all. I think Fluffy only shot like once or twice and didn’t really commit to the double. I was surprised by that. The finish with the knee was beautiful. That was very cool. It felt like Fluffy wasn’t really able to get started.”
De Ridder arrives at UFC 326 coming off a setback to Brendan Allen that exposed some defensive gaps over extended rounds, but his submission rate and ability to punish mistakes still make him a problem for most of the division. Borralho, meanwhile, is the kind of opponent who forces adjustments: a well-rounded middleweight with a history of post-fight bonuses and finishing instincts of his own. Put those ingredients together on the same card as Holloway–Oliveira 2 for the BMF strap, and de Ridder’s running joke about body knees suddenly doubles as a warning label for anyone sharing the cage with him at UFC 326.