We have 2 former middleweights moving up after a pair of losses looking to reinvent their careers at light heavyweight

I'm a big Roman Dolidze guy and have picked him many times before. I love the power in his hands and how insanely good he is on the ground. Go back and look how stupid he made Jack Hermansson look when they hit the ground or how quickly he blew out Phil Hawes' knee when they hit the ground. The problem is those fights were 4 years go and since then he hasn't looked great. RDR is on his own skid, but i genuinely believe moving up in weight is great for him, he is a massive guy and well aware of what is in front of him. I think RDR will manage range better, land a couple of those massive jump knees and then Roman will fold mentally. Credential wise, Roman is the better grappler, but RDR is a good grappler himself and certainly good enough to not get submitted here. I love RDR in this spot.

Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder is a former two division champion in One FC. He is a solid grappler with good takedowns and great submissions. He is very tall and uses that length well on the ground. He will bomb away on the feet and while it is not very clean, he has an insane jump in knee and everything he does is heavy. He is coming off the decision loss to Caio Borralho where he had the volume, but the takedown attempts were bad.

Roman Dolidze

Roman Dolidze is a world champion grappler who has showcased those skills more than one time in the Octagon. The problem is though, you don't know when he will actually use his grappling. He has no problems marching forward, throwing heavy punches and getting stuck in a striking match. He has very real power but he does tend to chase it. Dolidze is a very well rounded fighter who can knock you out or submit you, but he doesn't always have the best game plans and can fade later in fights. He is coming off the decision loss to Christian Leroy Duncan where he had the takedowns but couldn't hang in the striking.