UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen

The UFC heads to Vancouver next weekend for its latest Fight Night event. In the headliner, we might see the next middleweight title contender emerge.

UFC Fight Night: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen features a card with a strong headliner as well as some other fun-sounding bouts.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Reiner de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen.

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UFC middleweight bout: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen

When Khamzat Chimaev downed Dricus du Plessis to win the UFC middleweight title in August, it looked like 'Borz' had four potential contenders on the horizon: Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez.

All four men were riding lengthy and impressive win streaks, and so naturally, the matchmakers put them up against one another in a kind of mini-tournament. Imavov would fight Borralho, de Ridder would fight Hernandez, and the most impressive one would claim their shot.

However, while Imavov staked his claim last month by beating Borralho, Hernandez will no longer get his chance.

Last month saw 'Fluffy' suffer an injury, forcing him out of his bout with de Ridder. Instead, 'The Dutch Knight' will now face Brendan Allen.

So, can de Ridder pick up a win impressive enough to leapfrog Imavov to take a shot at Chimaev? It's honestly debatable.

Sure, Allen is a fine fighter in his own right, and he's coming off an impressive win over Marvin Vettori. However, 'All In' has already lost to both Hernandez and Imavov, meaning de Ridder would only be following in their footsteps.

However, it is worth noting that Allen has only been stopped in the octagon twice, and not since 2021. If 'The Dutch Knight' could dispatch him, then, it would send a big message.

Whether de Ridder can pull that off, though, is another thing entirely. His last win was definitely a huge one. He outpointed former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in a huge shocker, outlanding 'The Reaper' in both total and significant strikes and even taking him down a couple of times.

It wasn't perfect, of course, as Whittaker landed a big knockdown in the third round and de Ridder appeared to gas down the stretch. However, anyone who can beat 'The Reaper' deserves credit.

Prior to this, of course, de Ridder looked excellent when he abused the formerly unbeaten Bo Nickal in the clinch for a TKO and submitted Kevin Holland with ease. Overall, his last three bouts have totally erased the memory of his sloppy debut win over Gerald Meerschaert.

The big issue for Allen here is that it's hard to see a single area in which he's better than 'The Dutch Knight'. 'All In' is a slick grappler, but he doesn't appear to be any more dangerous than de Ridder on the ground. He's a serviceable striker, but it's also hard to see him outstriking a man who survived and thrived on the feet with Whittaker.

Allen will undoubtedly give this his best shot, as it's essentially a free hit on relatively late notice. However, while he's likely to survive for five rounds, de Ridder really should win.

Whether that'll be enough to bump him ahead of Imavov is another thing entirely, but the pick is 'The Dutch Knight'.

The Pick: de Ridder via decision

UFC welterweight bout: Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott

While you could argue for the bout between Marlon Vera and Aiemann Zahabi as being more relevant, any fight involving Kevin Holland is always going to draw some eyeballs.

Therefore, it's hardly a surprise to see his bout with Canadian favorite Mike Malott positioned as the co-headliner here. So, will 'Trailblazer' pull off another memorable win, or can 'Proper Mike' stop him in his tracks?

The last time we saw Holland in action, he was beaten by Daniel Rodriguez, snapping a two-fight win streak after he moved back to 170 pounds in March.

To be fair to 'Trailblazer', this wasn't his usual style of defeat, as 'D-Rod' did not blanket him. Instead, the two men went to war for three rounds, with Holland suffering the first knockdown of his octagon career en route to a decision loss.

Could Holland still be suffering the effects of that war? Well, it's definitely possible, but thankfully he has at least taken a solid period off for his standards – just over three months.

Malott is an interesting case in that he crushed his first three foes with ease, beating them down largely on the ground, but was then seemingly exposed by Neil Magny in his fourth bout, losing via TKO.

'Proper Mike' has since bounced back by beating Trevin Giles in a bit of an unconvincing performance and stopping Charles Radtke in a more impressive showing.

The issue for him here is that despite his limitations – he's a weaker wrestler, takes too many risks and realistically, fights too often – Holland is a very good fighter in all areas.

He knows how to use his lengthy reach, and he's very dangerous on the ground, to the point where he outworked Gunnar Nelson and submitted Vicente Luque.

Overall, then, this looks like a horrible fight for 'Proper Mike'. He hasn't really shown any huge improvements since that Magny fight, and Magny and Holland are a lot alike, with 'Trailblazer' essentially being a more aggressive version.

That aggression does mean Holland can leave himself open at times, but whether Malott has the skill to capitalize on that is very debatable.

All things considered, then, this should be an exciting fight that Holland should win handily, with the possibility that he could sway the Canadian crowd onto his side too.

The Pick: Holland via second-round TKO

UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

In a bantamweight bout, Marlon Vera takes on Aiemann Zahabi. This is probably the biggest test of Zahabi's career, but it's also one he's earned after his big win over an admittedly past-his-prime Jose Aldo last time out.

Zahabi was able to squeak past Aldo, but he had problems with the veteran, being hurt badly in the first and third rounds before outlasting him for a decision.

Vera does not have the legacy of Aldo, but 'Chito' is arguably more dangerous right now. Despite losing his last two fights, he's proven to be both ridiculously tough and an absolutely lethal finisher.

In all honesty, this looks like a bad fight for Zahabi. He showed toughness against Aldo, but 'Chito' isn't likely to slow down like the former champ did. Moreover, the Ecuadorian possesses similarly explosive offense, and Zahabi struggled in that area. Therefore, the pick is Vera via second-round TKO.

In a women's flyweight clash, Manon Fiorot takes on Jasmine Jasudavicius. We last saw Fiorot in a losing effort against Valentina Shevchenko, but naturally there's no shame in that, and prior to that loss, 'The Beast' had used her heavy-handed, accurate striking to beat 12 straight opponents.

Realistically, then, there's just no evidence that Jasudavicius brings anything to the table that say, Erin Blanchfield or Rose Namajunas didn't.

The Canadian is on a fantastic run, winning her last five in a row, including three submissions. However, getting Fiorot to the ground will be a different task entirely, and if she can't do that, it's likely she'll be picked apart. This is a worthy step up for Jasudavicius, but the pick is Fiorot via decision.

In a bantamweight tilt, Cody Gibson takes on Aori Qileng. Now on his second UFC run, Gibson hasn't been that successful, losing three of his last five, including his last fight. Qileng, to be fair, is equally inconsistent, with a run of 3-4-1 in his octagon career.

Realistically this could go either way. Both men are solid jacks of all trades but don't really shine in any single area. Gibson has perhaps shown a little more across his time with the promotion, so the pick is Gibson via decision.

Finally, Kyle Nelson faces Matt Frevola in a lightweight bout. Canada's Nelson lost his last fight to Steve Garcia, but overall, he's been pretty solid, with a KO win over Bill Algeo being his most impressive win.

Frevola, meanwhile, looked like a possible contender after his big win over Drew Dober in 2023. However, his last two fights have seen him knocked out cold, and they were the kind of losses that suggested a cracked chin.

With that considered, then, the pick is Nelson via KO, albeit in a fight that could go either way.

UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC bantamweight bout: Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant

UFC flyweight bout: Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Park Hyun Sung

UFC middleweight bout: Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos

UFC lightweight bout: Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober

UFC strawweight bout: Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira

UFC middleweight bout: Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui

UFC bantamweight bout: Melissa Croden vs. Tainara Lisboa

About the author

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Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

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