UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Allen Preview and Predictions

On Saturday, Oct. 18, the UFC returns to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, as two top-10 middleweights face off to potentially challenge champion Khamzat Chimaev for his title in the near future.

“The Dutch Knight” Reinier de Ridder is a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, who, after losing both of his titles to Anatoly Malykhin, left the promotion. Since then, has won five fights in a row, which included four finishes, two submissions and one TKO in the UFC, and a split decision win over former champion Robert Whittaker, which put him at 4-0 in the Octagon. De Ridder was originally supposed to face Anhtony Hernandez, but Hernandez had to pull out due to injury, and he was replaced by Brendadn Allen.

Allen was on a seven-fight winning streak before dropping two in a row to Nassourdine Imavov and Hernandez. However, he came back with a dominant decision win over Marvin Vettori last July. The fight with de Ridder should be a fun one, and it will most certainly come with title implications.

UFC Vancouver airs live on ESPN+ starting at 4 p.m. ET. Combat Press writers Andrew Sumian and Matt Petela preview the action in this week’s Toe-toe-Toe.

Reinier de Ridder is undefeated since joining the UFC; can he keep up the momentum and earn a title shot by defeating Brendan Allen?

Sumian: The former main event between Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez was going to be one of the most intriguing middleweight bouts of the year. I do believe there were significantly better options available to replace Hernandez but here we are. Brenda Allen is a good fighter, no question about it. His only two losses since Feb. 2022 are to Nassourdine Imavov and Hernandez. However, Brendan Allen is much like Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot has undoubtedly proven himself as one of the best lightweights in the world and will likely continue to be a top-10 lightweight for some time. Despite his skill, he always comes up short when he takes on the top tier of the division. Allen is a similar story. He will be a top middleweight contender for years to come, but it doesn’t seem like he has the tenacity and dog in him to take it to the next level. There are plenty of great fighters in UFC history that have never challenged for the belt, and Allen will likely end up on that list when it is all said and done.

De Ridder has done everything perfectly since joining the UFC. He finished three straight opponents, and then he went to war with Robert Whittaker less than three months ago. An impressive win over Hernandez would have probably put him first in line to face Khamzat Chimaev, but I don’t see this happening if the win comes at the expense of Allen. That being said, de Ridder will improve to 5-0 in the UFC after winning a 49-46 decision over Allen. The experience, grappling advantage and control will be on full display courtesy of the “The Dutch Knight”.

Petela: So I guess this is a two-part question, and I’ll go ahead and answer in the affirmative to both parts. Reinier de Ridder has proven that he is a world-class talent since making the move over to the UFC. He looks peculiar in his movement and, like every shirt I wear, his chin has never been tucked. The first few times you watch him fight, his stand-up seems downright goofy, but after seeing him repeatedly succeed, it’s apparent that his unorthodox posture and style are intentional aspects of his game that have consistently delivered positive results.

Once de Ridder gets the fight to the mat, he operates with surgical precision. Like a fish who got caught and released back into the water, he is in his element. That is what will make this fight so much fun. Both guys will be comfortable on the mat, and fans will get the quintessential 4D chess match that is MMA grappling. I think that RDR will be crisper and flow in a methodical manner into advantageous positions throughout the contest. Late in the fight, he will have put Brendan Allen in a spot where he has to search for a finish to get the win, and that’s where mistakes happen. After putting together a wide lead on the scorecards through four rounds, de Ridder catches a leg and tries to take it home with him for a fifth-round submission win that leaves fans wanting to see him go up against the juggernaut wrestler with the belt, Khamzat Chimaev.

After losing to Neil Magny, Mike Malott has won back-to-back fights; how does he fare against another veteran while fighting in front of a home crowd?

Petela: Mike Malott had a reality check in his fight against Neil Magny. He has looked better than ever since then, and I don’t think he loses any momentum in this one. Kevin Holland does his best to make every single fight he is in an entertaining contest, but, as his career progresses, he has moved from possible contender to gatekeeper. He is one of the fighters that up-and-comers need to get past before the promotion takes them seriously.

Malott is almost the opposite of Holland. He doesn’t get flashy and grinds out a lot of his victories. That style will frustrate Holland as he tries to work at a distance and pot-shot his way around the cage. This one won’t steal the show, but, because it’s in Canada, there won’t be any boos. Malott by unanimous decision.

Sumian: I am going to go with Holland in this one. His crafty style and ability to come out on top of awkward exchanges is a skill of its own. This is the best fighter Malott has faced, and it will show. Malott may even hurt Holland and get him to the canvas, but that will not be the end. “Trailblazer” will be able to negate the physical prowess of the Canadian and eventually lock up a crafty submission in Round 2.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Sumian: Is it finally time to say goodbye to Drew Dober? The former top-15 lightweight has earned four Fight of the Night bonuses, four Performance of the Night bonuses and is easily one of the most entertaining lightweights to step foot into the Octagon. Despite this, he is 1-3 in his last four UFC fights and has suffered some punishing defeats by way of knockout. He is taking on Kyle Prepolec, who is also an eager striker, and it is likely one of these two men will be going to sleep. If Dober suffers a third knockout loss in a row, it might be time to let him go.

Petela: Marlon Vera. Two losses in a row is never a good thing. He is only 32 years old, but he has a lot of miles on his engine with 34 fights. It’s not like he has lost to bad competition, dropping contests to former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in their rematch and then a unanimous decision to former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. He is coached by Jason Parillo, who is one of the best in the business and always an advocate for fighters not fighting much past their prime. A loss in this fight might lead Parillo into having a tough conversation with Vera to let him know that it is time to move onto the next phase of life and leave the Octagon behind.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius. I know it is on the main card, so it doesn’t really qualify as a sleeper, but this fight isn’t really being talked about. These two women are high-paced and highly technical. While it might not end in a gnarly finish, it will be fun to watch for 15 minutes.

Sumian: This fight night has a lot of under-the-radar matches. Charles Jourdain versus Davey Grant does stick out and should be a fun way to end the preliminary card.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Sumian: Hyun Sung Park. He took on top flyweight contender Tatsuro Taira on short notice in his last UFC appearance, but he was perfect before then. Park is going to finish Bruno Silva by whatever method he chooses and earn a bonus along the way.

Petela: Matt Frevola. The “Steamrolla” is just plain fun. Whether he gets clipped early and loses consciousness or batters his opponent, he simply makes fights enjoyable for everyone. I think he gets the best of Kyle Nelson in a slugfest and scores a knockout win.

Pair this card with…

Petela: Soft pretzels. The two combatants in the main event are going to twist one another up in search of a submission, so it is only fitting that you sit and enjoy a finely twisted soft pretzel as the two men mimic the shape.

Sumian: Poutine. This fight card takes place in the Great White North, and Canada is known for poutine. Like poutine, this card is rich with french fries, curds, and gravy. There is a lot more depth to this Fight Night than people may think, and it will show with some fantastic fights and results.