Reiner de Ridder has not fought Anthony Hernandez.
De Ridder and Hernandez were scheduled to face off in the main event at UFC Vancouver next month. However, on Monday, the UFC revealed that “Fluffy” was out of the game, and instead “RDR” took on Brendan Allen in the main event.
It is unclear why Hernandez was kicked out of the match at this point, but rumors began to spread before the UFC’s announcement. Fighter jets such as Paulo Costa and Caio Bolarjo have offered to replace Hernandez.
This is an unfortunate event for both Hernandez and de Ridar. UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup as part of the two-pack middleweight title Eliminator before UFC Paris held earlier this month. De Ridder vs. Hernandez served as the second piece of the puzzle, while Nassourdine Imavov is currently sitting in the driver’s seat after a unanimous decision victory over Caio Borralho at Accor Arena. It is unclear whether this will affect the UFC’s decision on who will challenge Khamzat Chimaev for the title next.
De Ridder (21-2)’s former two division champion (21-2) has been 4-0 in the UFC since taking part in the promotion last year, and most recently won a split decision via Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi in July.
Allen (25-7) is currently ranked 11th in the UFC middleweight rankings, earning a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Betri at UFC 318.
UFC Vancouver will be held at Rogers Arena on October 18th.
Damon Martin and Jed Mesh contributed to this report.