UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder has the biggest opportunity of his career in front of him when he faces Brendan Allen in the main event of UFC Vancouver this Saturday after Anthony Hernandez withdrew from the card.
De Ridder (21-2 MMA) is off to a fast start since entering the promotion last fall, winning his first four outings. In July, de Ridder may have won his biggest fight to date, as he upset former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker (27-9 MMA) by decision to solidify himself amongst one of the division’s elite contenders.
Allen (25-7 MMA) rebounded in July with a win against former title challenger Marvin Vettori (19-9-1 MMA), and now has a chance to spoil the possibility of a future title fight between recently-crowned champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA) and de Ridder.
Speaking to CBS Sports, de Ridder says the sky is the limit for the possibility of championship gold if he were to fight Chimaev. De Ridder went so far as to predict how he sees the fight playing out if it did, in fact, happen.
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“I might be able to take him down and put him on his back,” de Ridder said. “That’s a position we haven’t seen him in yet. We might end up striking more than he has in his previous fights. I think if he takes me down, I’m very dangerous off my back. I have some cool tricks there. If I end up on top, I think I have a good chance of choking him.”
De Ridder does recognize Allen as a tough fight overall, though, especially considering the depth at 185 pounds.
“It still means something beating him,” De Ridder said. “He had close fights with Imavov and ‘Fluffy.’ At least he has history with top guys. I think if I’m the first guy, of the three, to finish him, that means something.”
De Ridder vs. Allen headlines a 13-fight card, the second of three-straight international events for the promotion to close out October. The main card gets underway at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT with the prelims preceding it at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. The entire event can be seen via the ESPN App and ESPN+ in the U.S., as the UFC continues to wind down its event schedule for the year with eight shows left (including Saturday night) before a month-long break entering 2026.
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