Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen: Bloody Elbow staff predict the UFC Vancouver main event

UFC Vancouver predictions

Jordan Ellis: I think it’s going to take an upper echelon middleweight to end Reinier de Ridder’s UFC win streak. The question is, do I think Brendan Allen is one of the best 185lb fighters in MMA? No, I don’t. The slight gap in skill level, combined with the short-notice nature of the matchup, should make this relatively easy for the former two-division MMA champion.

PREDICTION: REINIER DE RIDDER BY SUBMISSION

Donagh Corby: There’s a lot of talk surrounding Reinier de Ridder and his potential to become the man to stop Khamzat Chimaev. However, I see Saturday as his first serious test anywhere near the top of the middleweight division against Brendan Allen. His win over Robert Whittaker at the tail end of his career, as well as Bo Nickal, so early in his, were impressive. But that debut against Gerald Meerschaert concerned me, and he’ll face a real test against Allen this time around. I’m going for the American by unanimous decision.

PREDICTION: BRENDAN ALLEN BY DECISION

Jamie Theodosi: The UFC Vancouver main event pits two of the division’s better grapplers against each other. In this matchup, I believe RDR’s awkward striking style could put Brendan Allen into some uncomfortable positions, and I see Reinier de Ridder subsequently scoring a submission win.

PREDICTION: REINIER DE RIDDER BY SUBMISSION

Harvey Leonard: While it was, of course, an impressive victory, Reinier de Ridder certainly looked beatable in his fight against a past-his-prime Robert Whittaker. But although I see a few top middleweights being able to prove as much down the line, Brendan Allen is not one of them right now. His defeats to Anthony Hernandez and Nassourdine Imavov are still relatively fresh, and I expect ‘RDR’ to expose similar holes and grind out a decision victory, even if he is faced with some scares early on.

PREDICTION: REINIER DE RIDDER BY DECISION

Kyle Dimond: Brendan Allen is a sneakily difficult matchup for Reinier de Ridder, in my opinion. He’s good everywhere and hasn’t been submitted since his third pro fight in 2016. That being said, ‘RDR’ has shown an incredible ability to rise to the occasion since signing with the UFC. While I think Allen will be tough to put away, de Ridder should be able to bank some rounds if he is able to secure takedowns.

PREDICTION: REINIER DE RIDDER BY DECISION