Brendan Allen scored one of the biggest wins of his career at UFC Vancouver, defeating Reinier de Ridder in the main event after accepting the fight on short notice.
After a tough opening round, Allen reversed De Ridder’s takedown and began punishing him with a barrage of punches and elbows from top position. By the end of the fourth round, de Ridder had barely pulled himself off the canvas and was unable to continue, and the bout was eventually stopped.
A win is a win, but Allen acknowledged that fights always play out that way, especially after seeing De Ridder call it quits in his past fight with Anatoly Malihin at ONE Championship.
“I said I was going to (break him),” Allen told MMA Fighting. “There’s something there somewhere. I don’t know where I saw it. Maybe someone edited it, or maybe my boyfriend made it. I don’t know. I don’t really remember, but it’s literally word for word what I said when the UFC came to Chicago during camp. Literally, word for word, exactly what happened. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Although Allen had a game plan focused on defeating De Ridder over five rounds, he was still surprised by the outcome of the fight.
In fact, Allen endured a similar situation during his career where he was completely exhausted and unable to get up from the canvas at the end of the round. In the end, he still continued and was quickly submitted, but Allen couldn’t understand not answering the bell when it was time for a fight.
“Every guy has to look in the mirror, right?” Allen said. “Everyone has to search his soul. That’s on him. He has to look at himself in the mirror. If he’s okay with that, God bless him. I know, but you have to answer the bell. I distinctly remember that this was my second adrenaline rush when I fought Trevin Giles a long time ago. I could barely even stand at the end of the round.”
“I was gassed. He came out at me and hit me while I was in guard, and when I tried to go get my legs, he hit me. I couldn’t even stand between rounds, but I still walked out and threw like a flying knee or something, and he literally Just pushed me and I fell down. Didn’t hit me or literally push me, and I fell down. We still scrambled some more and he got like a rear naked (choke), but it didn’t even go to my throat. It was over my mouth and I couldn’t breathe, so I panicked and tapped it. I tried to breathe, but nothing came in. I remember being scared at that moment, to be honest.”
It was the third game of Allen’s career dating back to 2016, and his attitude hasn’t changed in terms of moving forward regardless of the outcome. Allen can’t speak for De Ridder’s feelings at that moment, but he knows the fight can’t end like this.
“I’d rather be beaten by something. I’m not going to quit on the chair,” Arens-Ade says. “I can’t leave the team over something like that. We work hard. Honestly, if I did that, I think my father would disown me. He’s different. I don’t understand, I can’t do that. I don’t want my kids to see me like that. What are we doing? I signed to get in there, do what I have to do, put on a show for the fans, and give the promotion a good name.”It gave me a chance.
“So I’m not going to let them down by sitting in a chair and quitting. Like I said, I’m not scared of getting knocked out, I’m not scared of getting tapped. I’ve been through both. For me personally, that’s all I can talk about and that’s my position and I know because I’ve been tested to say I would.”
With his win over De Ridder last Saturday night, Allen secured his winning streak and found himself back in the UFC’s top five middleweight division. Allen is excited about what happens next, especially with names like Khamzat Chimaev, Drikas du Plessis, or perhaps Sean Strickland being tossed around as potential opponents.
That said, Allen and his wife are expecting a baby in early 2026, so he hopes to get some much-needed family time before booking a return next year.
“We’re in the top five right now,” Allen said. “It’s going according to plan. We’ll see what happens next. My wife is pregnant and we’re due in January or February. I definitely want to get home for that. I want to stay in shape, but I’m going to take this week off. I’m going to let my body heal and enjoy a little bit of family fun. I’m still going to travel, but I’m going to get back into training a little bit and get in shape and travel before the baby is born.” Let’s take a look.
“Obviously, depending on what the offer is and what the timeline is, it’s all good. Depending on what the offer is, my wife and I will sit down and talk about it and see if it makes sense for our family, considering the baby on the way and everything else. At this moment, I’m just waiting to see what’s presented to me, but I’m going to think about work and take some time towards the end of the year to clear my head, think about my career, and just enjoy the fruits of my labor as a father and as a husband.”