De Ridder’s streak ends as Allen’s surge reshapes middleweight picture

Short announcement did not dilatory Brendan Allen. The UFC middleweight stepped successful for the injured Anthony Hernandez and stopped Reinier de Ridder betwixt rounds astatine UFC Fight Night successful Vancouver, delivering the biggest effect of his career. After a unsmooth opening framework that saw him defending takedowns and submission threats, Allen flipped the script. He rode dense apical unit successful rounds 2 done four, piling up much than 11 minutes of power and a 128–51 borderline successful full strikes, per UFC Stats.

De Ridder faded nether the pace. By the horn to extremity the fourth, helium struggled to stand. Referee Jason Herzog assessed him intimately arsenic the country stepped successful and threw the towel earlier circular five. The nonaccomplishment ends de Ridder’s four-fight UFC streak.

“It feels bully to bash precisely what I said I would do,” Allen said. “This was maine 3.5 weeks disconnected the couch. I told you I’m a antithetic monster, erstwhile my caput is wide and we’re on, I’m the champion successful the world.”

Stakes successful the middleweight race

Allen entered arsenic the No. 9 middleweight; de Ridder sat astatine No. 4. The effect vaults Allen into the heavy of the rubric conversation. He wasted nary clip calling for large names: “Chimaev, if you privation a bully grappler, idiosyncratic young and hungry, you got it baby. Dricus, wherever you at? I’ve been trying to get astatine you for a minute. If not, Sean, it’s clip to tally it back.” A rematch with Sean Strickland, who bushed him successful 2020, would trial however acold Allen’s crippled has matured. A gathering with the champion oregon erstwhile champions would beryllium a accelerated track.

The main paper produced much question little connected the bill. Canadian welterweight Mike Malott earned a determination implicit Kevin Holland successful the co-main. Aiemann Zahabi continued his ascent astatine bantamweight with a split-decision triumph against erstwhile rubric challenger Marlon Vera.

Allen’s night, though, was the headline. He promised to interruption a apical contender and did it with pressure, patience, and wide finishing instincts.