Why Fighters Fold

When a fighter steps into the ring, most people only see what happens that night. Two athletes compete, one wins, one loses. What the audience doesn’t see is the months of hard work, pain, and pressure that come before the first bell.

Reinier de Ridder’s recent loss to Brendan Allen showed how much a fight takes from those who live this life. De Ridder came in with skill and experience, but sometimes even the best preparation can’t hold up under real pressure. What happens inside the cage is only a fraction of what a fighter goes through.

Training Camp Reality
A fight starts long before fight week. Training camps can last up to three months, filled with sparring, drills, and weight cuts. Fighters deal with sore joints, muscle pain, and fatigue every single day. Even when training seems to go well, it still wears them down.

Small injuries pile up. A bruise turns into a strain. A bad weight cut can drain energy. On top of that, there’s the mental strain—doubt, anxiety, and the constant need to stay focused. Each day takes something out of them, and by the time fight night arrives, most fighters are already running on fumes.

What Fans Don’t See
By the time the crowd is watching, the story is already written. The fighter walking to the cage is carrying weeks of pain and pressure. The fans see confidence and composure, but not the sleepless nights or the last-minute adjustments made just to make it to the fight.

De Ridder started well but began to fade as the rounds went on. Some people said he quit, but the truth is often deeper. A body that’s been pushed for months can suddenly stop responding. Sometimes, the gas tank just runs dry.

A Loss Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Every fighter has a reason for how a fight plays out. Maybe the weight cut went badly. Maybe an old injury came back. Maybe stress took away their focus. The audience sees a result, but not the process that shaped it.

Most fighters are never fully healthy when they compete. Getting through camp alone is already a victory. When the fight doesn’t go their way, it doesn’t always mean they gave up—it means they reached their limit.

When a fighter folds, it’s not always weakness. It’s the result of months of physical grind and mental strain that most people can’t imagine. A single fight lasts a few rounds, but the journey to get there can take everything a person has.