Reinier de Ridder Vs. Brendan Allen Breakdown

Reinier de Ridder takes on Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver in a middleweight clash on the weekend, as we look at how the two will approach this fight.

Reinier de Ridder enters the Octagon with a flawless UFC record of 4-0. His latest victory was a split decision win over former champion Robert Whittaker. “The Dutch Knight” has been consistently beating top names, securing victories over notable names such as Whittaker, submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal.

Brendan Allen, meanwhile, enters the Vancouver headliner with renewed momentum, thanks to a much-needed unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori at UFC 318 in July. That win was crucial for Allen, as it immediately snapped a tough two-fight losing streak that saw him lose consecutive decisions to Anthony Hernandez and Nassourdine Imavov.

Pre-Fight

“The most important thing this fight is, I need to finish [Allen]. To have a chance to fight for the title, I need to finish him, so that’s what I’m coming for. I think I’ll break him because I’m better everywhere. I don’t think he can strike better than me. I don’t think he’s tougher than me. I don’t think his grappling’s better than me. A lot of guys are scared of his grappling. I’m not scared at all,” de Ridder said

The Approach

De Ridder will aim to use his his size, superior judo, and submission skills. His strategy will be to initiate the clinch quickly, denying Allen the space to use his striking. De Ridder excels at controlling the position against the cage, where he utilizes a head pressure, knees to the body, and short strikes to wear his opponent down. His ultimate goal is the takedown, aiming to establish dominant positions. His recent split-decision win over Robert Whittaker demonstrated his tenacity.

Allen may use his striking volume and distance management while relying on his own formidable submission defense. Allen’s best chance is to keep the fight away from the ground. He needs to use his jab and feints to keep the taller de Ridder at bay, while punishing every slow entry from the “Dutch Knight” with strikes. If the fight hits the mat, Allen, a high-level submission grappler in his own right, cannot afford to panic.

Full Card

Middleweight Bout: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen

Welterweight Bout: Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott

Bantamweight Bout: Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi

Women’s Flyweight Bout: Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

Bantamweight Bout: Cody Gibson vs. Aoriqileng

Lightweight Bout: Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola

Prelims

Bantamweight Bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant

Flyweight Bout: Bruno Silva vs. HyunSung Park

Middleweight Bout: Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Santos

Lightweight Bout: Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober

Women’s Strawweight Bout: Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira

Middleweight Bout: Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui

Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Melissa Croden vs. Tainara Lisboa