Brendan Allen shook up the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight division in a big way at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver on Saturday night. He handed Reinier de Ridder his first promotional loss by securing a technical knockout (TKO) after the Dutchman’s corner deemed him unable to continue ahead of Round 5. De Ridder was visibly exhausted in his neutral corner, leading to the sudden ending in the main event of mixed martial arts (MMA).
Allen (26-7 MMA) effectively avoided de Ridder’s (21-3 MMA) devastating kickboxing ability by utilizing his wrestling and controlling de Ridder with strikes from the top position. The American fighter’s strategy left de Ridder with few answers, especially considering Allen stepped in on short notice after replacing fellow contender Anthony Hernandez (15-2, 1 no-contest MMA).
“It feels good to do exactly what I said I would do,” Allen said after the fight. “This was me three and a half weeks off the couch. I told you I’m a different monster. When my head is clear and we’re on, I’m the best in the world.”
With the UFC’s middleweight logjam in full effect, Allen expressed confidence that he has earned a title shot opposite champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA). “Come get it, baby,” Allen stated emphatically.
Before this loss, de Ridder had remained undefeated for 19 months.
In the co-main event, welterweight Mike Malott (13-2-1 MMA) dodged a bullet by avoiding a no-contest against Kevin Holland (28-15 MMA). Early in the fight, Malott delivered a leg kick that inadvertently compromised Holland’s protective shorts cup. Despite this setback, Malott’s arm-triangle choke attempt in the third round was not enough to secure the win.
Aiemann Zahabi claimed victory in his bantamweight bout by decision against former title challenger Marlon Vera (23-11-1 MMA). The judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 in favor of Zahabi.
In women’s flyweight action, former title challenger Manon Fiorot (13-2 MMA) delivered a devastating TKO win over Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-4 MMA). Fiorot set up the stoppage with a flurry of punches, securing the victory at 1:14 of the opening round.
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