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UFC announces major change to main event fight for UFC Vancouver

A new middleweight contender is stepping in to save the UFC Vancouver main event.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Reinier de Ridder will try to extend an undefeated start to his UFC career against a new opponent in the main event for UFC Vancouver.

Set to take place at Rogers Arena on October 18, UFC Vancouver was supposed to see de Ridder square off with fellow top-ranked middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez in a fight that could have decided the first challenger for recently-crowned Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Per the UFC, the #6-ranked Hernandez has unfortunately withdrawn from UFC Vancouver due to injury, and now #11-ranked Brendan Allen will step up on just over a month’s notice for a huge opportunity against de Ridder.

Reinier de Ridder Boasts Unbeaten Record In The UFC

A former two-division titleholder in ONE Championship, de Ridder defeated longtime UFC veteran Gerald Meerschaert in his promotional debut late last year before he put on a more dominant showing in his sophomore outing and submitted Kevin Holland in the first round at UFC 311.

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An upset-win over the formerly-undefeated Bo Nickal earned de Ridder his first “Performance of the Night” bonus in May, and at UFC Abu Dhabi the Dutchman established himself as a legit title contender when he took a split decision over former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker in the card’s main event.

Reinier de Ridder (red gloves) blows the crowd a kiss after defeating Bo Nickal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night.
Reinier de Ridder (red gloves) blows the crowd a kiss after defeating Bo Nickal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“RDR” was tasked with ending Hernandez’s impressive eight-fight win streak in the original main event for UFC Vancouver, but an impressive win over Allen on October 18 could still be enough to earn de Ridder a title shot after an incredibly active first year in the UFC.

Brendan Allen Steps Up For Huge Opportunity At UFC Vancouver

A contract winner on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Allen put himself into middleweight title contention with seven-fight win streak that began when he submitted Sam Alvey in 2022.

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Allen’s winning run came to an end last September when he dropped a decision to current #2-ranked middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov before he also came up short against Hernandez in February. “All In” returned to the win column in July at UFC 319, where he took a unanimous decision over former title challenger Marvin Vettori.

Marvin Vettori (red gloves) fights against Brendan Allen (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center.
Marvin Vettori (red gloves) fights against Brendan Allen (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Imavov may have put himself in line for a title fight with Chimaev after he handed Caio Borralho the first loss of his UFC career at UFC Paris last weekend, but de Ridder vs. Allen still has huge implications for the division and will close out a UFC Vancouver card that currently looks like this:

UFC Vancouver Fight Card

• Main Event: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen

• Co-Main Event: Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott

• Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi

• Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

• Cody Gibson vs. Aoriqileng

• Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola

• Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant

• Bruno Silva vs. Hyun Sung Park

• Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Santos

• Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober

• Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui

• Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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