Canada, one of my favorite places on earth — and this month, the UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Allen landed in Vancouver.

The last time the UFC visited was in 2023, when Amanda Nunes turned in one of the great farewell performances against Irene Aldana.

This year, Vancouver brought us another high-stakes matchup: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen.

I missed the live show this time, but the numbers tell the story regardless. Let’s dig in.

🇳🇱 Allen Broke RDR in a Dominant Performance

The fight was originally set for de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez, but Hernandez pulled out due to injury. Brendan Allen stepped in on about 3 ½ weeks’ notice — and turned the tables. Many expected the Dutchman de Ridder to handle a short-notice replacement easily.

Nope—Allen gave him the hardest night of his UFC stint so far. The fight ended in a rare way: towel thrown in between rounds. Just look at the stats, numbers don’t lie.

In Rounds 1 and 2, de Ridder looked good: early takedown, solid control, even back-mount. Many thought he had the fight in hand.
But that momentum flipped in Round 3 when Allen reversed position, took top control, and began pouring on strikes. De Ridder’s gas tank evaporated.
Round 4 was all Allen: takedown early, heavy ground-and-pound, zero fight back for RdR. When the bell rang, de Ridder could barely stand. His corner pulled the plug before Round 5 began.

Official result: Brendan Allen by TKO (corner stoppage).

Allen’s post-fight swagger backed it up—he called out the champ Khamzat Chimaev and other top contenders. Suddenly, what looked like de Ridder’s runway to a title shot got completely derailed.

🇨🇦 Other highlight in Vancouver 2025

The card didn’t stop at the main event — finish-after-finish came through:

• Charles Jourdain locked in a guillotine in Round 1, earned a $50K Performance bonus.
• Aori Qileng crushed his opponent in 21 seconds — another bonus for a debut highlight.
• Mike Malott upset Kevin Holland by decision (29-28 x3) despite recurring leg-kick and low-blow drama.
• The event marked the UFC’s first return to Vancouver since June 2023, and its seventh visit overall.

🔮 What’s Next?

For Brendan Allen:
This win might be the biggest of his career. From short-notice replacement to top-contender talk, he’s now positioned for big names and possible title contention.
He said it best: “I’m a different monster when my head is clear.”
And after tonight, that quote feels real.

For Reinier de Ridder:
This one stings. Coming off a victory over Robert Whittaker and Bo Nickal, his momentum and the title shot that once seemed within reach just vanished in four rounds. Corner stoppage. Brutal, but honest.

He’ll need time — and work (a lot) — to catch up with the modern MMA pace. Fix the gas-tank issues, sharpen the ground-and-pound, rethink his matchup choices, and maybe take a little time off. He’s been incredibly active this year, and that grind catches up fast.

Don’t get me wrong — I still love watching him as a high-level BJJ artist.
But MMA is a different beast. It’s the level where every art gets stress-tested. And for de Ridder, that lesson came hard tonight.

📌 Final Thoughts

UFC Vancouver 2025 reminded us once again: in MMA, momentum is fragile. One error, one reversed position, one emptied tank—boom, your fate changes.

Brendan Allen seized the moment. Reinier de Ridder’s march got interrupted. We witnessed the sweet spot of fight sport—skill, will, and raw attrition.

What did you think—the standout moment of the card? Who’s the next guy to ride the Canadian wave? Drop your thoughts below 👇

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