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Is Reinier de Ridder Gay? UFC Middleweight Claims He "100%" Is

The MMA world loves a good social media spat, and Paulo Costa delivered one Saturday night after Reinier de Ridder beat Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi. Costa, fresh off watching the decision victory, decided to share his wisdom with the world: “I think de Ridder is gays, and that’s ok bro.”

Is Reinier de Ridder Gay?

Classic Costa grammar aside, the Brazilian’s hot take sparked the usual Twitter circus, complete with memes and hot takes from keyboard warriors everywhere. He said, “I’m 100 %sure he is gay.”

Costa didn’t stop there, claiming he’d knock out de Ridder “3 x wich round” and calling the Whittaker fight a “bad fight.” The trolling was peak Paulo – just coherent enough to stir the pot, just grammatically challenged enough to become a meme. De Ridder’s response was swift and brutal: “Did Paulo Costa never fight Whittaker? What happened?” A perfect reminder that Costa lost to the same man de Ridder just beat.

The gay comments stem from more than just post-fight Twitter nonsense. De Ridder himself has referenced the stigma around Brazilian jiu-jitsu, telling Demetrious Johnson that “everybody says jiu-jitsu is ‘gay,’ but you quickly find out it’s very powerful once you see good guys choke you.”

Here’s what we know about de Ridder’s personal life: he’s married with two children, a boy and a girl. His wife manages his social media accounts, leading to the hilarious revelation that female fans sending explicit photos are actually messaging his spouse. “My wife has to run my social media. If you’re sending pictures of your titties and stuff, my wife sees it. So, email those to me,” he joked, creating an instant meme among UFC fans.

The Dutchman married his longtime partner around 2019, the same year he received his BJJ black belt. He keeps his wife’s name private, with whom he co-owns a physiotherapy clinic in Breda. The couple prioritizes family time, with de Ridder designing his life around maximum time with his children. He bikes five minutes to his gym, eats most meals with his kids, and drops his daughter off at school daily.

De Ridder’s fighting career tells a different story than Costa’s Twitter trolling suggests. The 34-year-old former ONE Championship double champion has compiled a 21-2 record, with his only losses coming to Anatoly Malykhin. He’s undefeated in the UFC with four straight wins, including knockouts of Bo Nickal and submissions of Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland. His grappling credentials are legitimate – black belts in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with 14 of his 21 wins coming by submission.

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands prepares to face Robert Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena on July 26, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

The Saturday night victory over Whittaker was a career-defining moment. De Ridder survived early trouble in round three when Whittaker dropped him with strikes, then battled back to control the final rounds and earn a split decision. His post-fight callout targeted the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title.

Bo Nickal
DES MOINES, IOWA – MAY 03: (R-L) Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands knees Bo Nickal in their middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Reinier De Ridder

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