Athletes
Brendan Allen Is Hunting Reinier de Ridder’s Ranking
After Stepping In On Short Notice, Brendan Allen Plans On Defeating Reinier de Ridder And Gatecrashing The Middleweight Title Picture In The Process
Middleweight contender Brendan Allen knows what’s at stake as he gets set to take on Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver, and he’s ready to take it all.
Allen agreed to step in on short notice to replace Anthony Hernandez against de Ridder, who hasn’t lost a fight in the UFC since his arrival on the big stage less than a year ago. Since then, the Dutchman has won four straight to put himself fourth in the official UFC middleweight rankings.
Order UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane
Allen has every intention of stepping into the Octagon and stealing that ranking spot away.
“I’ve been wanting to fight de Ridder since he got here,” Allen admitted.
“He comes from a different promotion, two-division champion, and stylistically, I just feel it's a good matchup for me. So, when the fight came about, it was just something that I had to jump on, seeing as I’ve been asking to fight him over and over and over.”
Allen has been part of a group of middleweights who have positioned themselves within striking distance of the division’s elite. But decision losses to fellow contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Hernandez hurt Allen’s stock. A win over old foe Marvin Vettori in their UFC 318 rematch in July put Allen back on track, but there was still plenty of work to do to get to a top contender spot.
But life moves fast in mixed martial arts, and an unexpected opportunity arose when Hernandez was forced out of his bout with de Ridder this weekend in Vancouver. Allen got the call, and he took the opportunity with both hands. Now he’s determined to make this chance count.
Get Ready For UFC Vancouver With A Breakdown Of Every Matchup
“I didn't show up in two of my fights, and lost recently, so then I revitalized myself and came back even better for the last one. Now it's just continuing with that momentum and showing that those were just two hiccups. They were still super-close fights to two top guys in the world, and still, I can arguably say I won.
"So, to go out here and put a stamp on with a great performance over de Ridder just puts me right back in number four in the world. And, who knows, maybe Chimaev says my name because he wants a real test. And worst case scenario, we get Dricus (Du Plessis) next, and I beat him up.”
Allen and de Ridder previously trained under the same roof at Kill Cliff FC, but never really trained together, with Allen explaining that, other than a brief roll during a group drill, they have largely stayed distant.
“That's the only interaction that we've ever had,” he explained.
“Other than that, like everyone knows, I don't want to go with you. I'm not your friend, I’m not gonna disrespect you, but I'm not your friend. I'm not going to help you. I don't want your help back, and we're probably going to see each other in the future. So that's just kind of always how I looked at it.”
These days, Allen is training out of Chicago, where he’s been forced to abandon the usual tapered approach to fight camp and instead dive in head-first in a punishing build-up to fight night.
“There's no ease-in. It's literally like, dive right in, 100 percent. Then dieting 100 percent, because I was like, 222.5 (pounds) when I took (the fight). So yeah, man. It was tough.
Register For UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 Presale Tickets
“It was tough because normally I have an ease-in period. My weight will kind of slowly drop, and I'll have cheat meals that'll kind of like stop cravings and stuff like that. This time, there was none of that. I was, like, strict, straight into it, no breaks.”
Allen is grateful for his team for jumping into fight camp mode almost at the drop of a hat following the news of his short-notice bout, with longtime friend and training partner Tuco Toccos flying up from Florida to be a part of his preparations, while former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was also on hand to share his experience and expertise in the lead-up to fight week.
“Belal, I've known for forever – I think he's the best welterweight in the world. He was the champion (and) I think he’s going to be the champion again,” he said.
“So to have him there and pick his brain because, again, he’s been around the block a couple of times, and he’s been at the height of the sport. So to have him and learn from him, it just kind of feels like old times, but in a more refined way.”
Hearing him speak ahead of fight night, it’s clear that this is a fight that Allen has wanted and has been playing out in his mind for much longer than just the last month. He knows de Ridder’s style and feels that, where it matters most, he has the edge.
UFC VANCOUVER PRE-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Reinier De Ridder | Brendan Allen | Manon Fiorot | Jasmine Jasudavicius | Kevin Holland | Mike Malott | Marlon Vera
“I feel like he's the same guy that we've seen from ONE. He hasn’t really changed much,” he said
“He has more confidence, maybe in the striking, but I think what he does well is he builds confidence very easily. He needs a little bit of a positive to build that confidence, which is good, but he's not gonna get that with me.
“I’m better striking, I'm faster, I'm not bigger, but I'm stronger. I guarantee you, I'm stronger when he grabs me. I'm way faster, I think I'm way more technical. I'm definitely way more of a vet – I've fought way better guys, the highest level. So I just think I'm going to be too much everywhere.
“I know he's going to try to weigh on me, use his size, throw his little knee, but again, everything he does, I do better. My clinch is better. My wrestling is better. I think my jiu-jitsu is better. Maybe it's just me being a fighter. Maybe it's just close to the fight, but maybe I'm delusional as well! We're gonna find out Saturday, but I think I'm better everywhere.”
Allen’s plan is to finish de Ridder and take over the number-four spot in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. But the fight also offers a welcome opportunity for “All In” to pay tribute to the Canadian side of his family by repping the Maple Leaf on Canadian soil.
MORE UFC VANCOUVER: The Goal Is In Sight For Reinier De Ridder | Manon Fiorot Is Focused On Herself | Homefield Advantage | Fighters On The Rise | Mike Malott Is Living The Dream | Charles Jourdain Is Forged In A Different Fire
“I’ve represented Canada a few times throughout my UFC career, but to represent Canada in Canada – and it's like one province over from where my grandparents were born and raised – it's really cool to have on my resumé,” he said.
“Not too much beats my last one in New Orleans with my family – that's different. But this one's still really cool. It kind of just pays homage to my mom's side of the family. So yeah, it's cool to give my flowers back to them in their home country and my first time in Canada.”
UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs Allen took place live from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada on October 18, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!