Reinier de Ridder And Anthony Hernandez Clash In Vancouver Main Event
Streaking Middleweights Meet In Vancouver's Main Event On October 18
With Khamzat Chimaev freshly atop the middleweight throne after his decision win over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, the rest of the division is jockeying for their chance to challenge “Borz.” UFC CEO Dana White announced streaking middleweights Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez will headline the Octagon’s return to Vancouver on October 18 as both men look to break into the title picture.
De Ridder and Hernandez have collected two of the bigger statement-making wins of the summer. First came de Ridder’s split decision win over Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi on July 26. The victory was the fourth in eight months for “RDR,” who came to the promotion in November 2024 after collecting the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titles. The Dutchman’s win over the former middleweight champion Whittaker was just his third decision win and the first time he had gone past the third round in more than four years.
Hernandez, meanwhile, is one of the hottest fighters at 185 pounds. Since 2021, Hernandez has collected eight wins, six finishes and four Performance Bonuses while carving out a reputation as one of the grittiest fighters in the weightclass. His latest effort, a 4th-round submission win over Roman Dolidze, left many awed with his cardio, pressure and well-rounded skillset. The rear-naked choke finish was also one of the more brutal submissions in recent memory as Hernandez essentially dragged Dolidze across the canvas until the Georgian tapped out.
With middleweights Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho battling in Paris on September 6, de Ridder and Hernandez could put themselves in and around that No. 1 contender spot with a big-time win in Canada.
Joining the card is a welterweight clash between Kevin Holland and Mike Malott. Ontario’s Malott, competing in Canada for the fifth consecutive time, is rounding into his best form yet after picking up a knockout win over Charles Radtke at UFC 315 in Montreal. The victory was his fifth since earning his contract in October 2021. In Holland, he faces one of the true veterans of the sport. “Trailblazer,” inarguably the most active fighter in the promotion since joining the roster in 2018, heads into Vancouver for his fifth fight of 2025 hoping to get back on track after dropping a jaw-dropping bout against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 318. After dropping a bout to de Ridder in January, Holland returned to welterweight and picked up Performance Bonus-earning victories over Gunnar Nelson and Vicente Luque.
Also on the card are matchups between Marlon "Chito" Vera and Canada's Aiemann Zahabi as well as a flyweight matchup between Manon Fiorot and Jasmine Jasudavicius.
UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs Hernandez represents the first trip to “Van City” since UFC 289 in June 2023.
Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates to events and fights.
