Brendan Allen’s Ground-And-Pound Forces Reinier de Ridder Corner to Throw in Towel – UFC Vancouver Main Event | Highlights
Brendan Allen delivered the most significant victory of his career Saturday night at Rogers Arena, forcing Reinier de Ridder’s corner to stop the bout between the fourth and fifth rounds of the UFC Fight Night 262 main event. Allen stepped in on short notice to replace the injured Anthony Hernandez and executed a dominant performance that snapped de Ridder’s four-fight winning streak in the promotion.
Reinier de Ridder Struggles Against Brendan Allen
From the opening bell, de Ridder sought to impose his grappling, securing takedowns in the first round and working for submissions from top position. Allen weathered the early pressure, defending multiple choke attempts and using his striking to blunt de Ridder’s advances. By the second round, Allen reversed momentum with a takedown of his own, landing heavy ground-and-pound from full mount and top control.
Over the next two rounds, Allen continued to dictate the bout’s pace. He spent more than eleven minutes controlling de Ridder on the mat, according to UFC Stats, while landing 128 total strikes to de Ridder’s 51. Allen repeatedly thwarted de Ridder’s back-control attempts and worked to improve position, landing elbows and punches that visibly drained the former ONE Championship titleholder. De Ridder, normally praised for his cardio and grappling transitions, appeared increasingly fatigued as Allen maintained pressure.
Entering the fourth frame, de Ridder struggled to rise from his stool, prompting the referee to allow the round to commence. Allen immediately shot for another takedown, slamming de Ridder against the canvas and preserving side control. He delivered a series of unanswered strikes until the horn, leaving de Ridder unable to continue. De Ridder’s corner threw in the towel before the fifth round, handing Allen a TKO victory at the 5:00 mark of round four.
In his post-fight Octagon interview, Allen reflected on his preparation and proclaimed his readiness for title contention. “It feels good to do exactly what I said I would do,” he said. “This was me three and a half weeks off the couch. I told you I’m a different beast. When my head is clear and we’re on, I’m the best in the world.” He then called out the division’s top names: middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, former champion Dricus du Plessis, and Sean Strickland.
De Ridder saw his UFC record fall to 21–3 and his unbeaten streak in the promotion end at four. Despite an aggressive start and multiple submission attempts, he could not counter Allen’s wrestling and ground-and-pound. Allen, now 26–7, moves into the top five of the middleweight rankings and positions himself as a potential next challenger for the title.
The co-main event saw Canadian welterweight Mike Malott earn a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland, and bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi edged former title contender Marlon Vera via split decision. With several contenders emerging from Vancouver, the middleweight division appears poised for fresh matchups and a reshuffled title picture.
