"I think my dad would disown me" - Brendan Allen addresses Reinier de Ridder "quitting on the stool" against him at UFC Vancouver

Brendan Allen scored a major career win at UFC Vancouver when Reinier de Ridder stopped on his stool and refused to continue. Allen took the fight on short notice and quickly found his rhythm after some early hiccups.

After surviving a competitive opening round, he reversed de Ridder’s takedowns and dominated from the top to land a sustained barrage of strikes. By the fourth round, de Ridder was struggling to lift himself off the canvas, and the fight was stopped when he could not continue.

Allen has faced moments of extreme fatigue himself, but he remains determined that quitting is not an option. He believes fighters owe it to their team, fans, and themselves to answer the bell. Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, he said:

“I’d rather get knocked out [or] something. I’m not going to quit on the stool. I can’t quit on my team like that. We work so hard. I think my dad would disown me, too, if I did that, to be honest. He’s different. I don’t know, I can’t do that. I don’t want my kids to see that. We follow through no matter what. I signed up to go in there. I signed up to be in that position, to do what I do, to put on a show for the fans, to give a good name to the promotion, to all the guys that gave me the opportunity." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

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He added:

“So I’m not going to let them down by quitting on the stool. Like I said, I’m not scared to get knocked out. I’m not scared to get tapped. I’ve had it both happen. For me personally, that’s all I can speak on, and that’s where I stand, and I know because I’ve been tested to say that’s what I would do.”

Nassourdine Imavov slams Reinier de Ridder for quitting against Brendan Allen

Nassourdine Imavov was surprised to see Reinier de Ridder quit against Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver. De Ridder’s corner threw in the towel after the fourth round, ending his five-fight streak.

Imavov, who holds a decision win over Allen and is riding a five-fight winning streak himself, says he expected Allen to win. He believes de Ridder was overrated and lacked the skills to handle top opposition. Speaking in an interview with MMA Junkie, he said:

"As an elite fighter, you can't give up. That's your job, that's what you do for a living. You are the highest level in the world, and you're showing it to people. So, you can't give up. It's like in life, at the end of the day. But I heard it was his corner that threw in the towel, so I don't know what happened clearly, but like I said, for me, you can't give up at the highest level."

Check out Nassourdine Imavov's comments below (4:00):

About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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