Brendan Allen doesn’t fear Reinier de Ridder’s grappling at all – ‘He’s never fought anyone like me’

“All-In” is going all in.

No. 11-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Brendan Allen is stepping up on short notice to face surging Dutch contender Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver on Sat., Oct. 18, 2025, inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.

Allen, stepping into his fourth UFC main event spotlight, believes his mix of striking, toughness, and grappling will be too much for de Ridder when the cage door closes.

“I think I’ll break him because I’m better everywhere,” Allen said in a video on his Instagram. “I don’t think he can strike better than me. I don’t think he’s tougher than me. I don’t think his grappling’s better than mine. A lot of guys are scared of his grappling. I’m not scared at all. He’s pretty tough for a little while, but again, I don’t think he’s fought anyone like me.”

“I think Whittaker is kind of washed, to be honest,” Allen added. “He’s never fought a young, hungry guy like me — that’s just as big as him. I have a lot of respect for him for not hiding behind his number. He didn’t have to take this fight. Big respect to him.”

Allen (25-7) recently got back into the win column by defeating rivalMarvin Vettori via unanimous decision. While setbacks to Anthony Hernandez and Nassourdine Imavov temporarily stalled his title run, Allen had previously rattled off seven straight wins, five by finish.

The key storyline heading into UFC Vancouver will be the grappling. Both Allen and de Ridder are elite submission threats, but Allen believes his MMA-specific grappling gives him the edge. After all, he’s already submitted two of the division’s most feared ground fighters in Paul Craig and Andre Muniz (watch highlights).

With less than a month to go before fight night, fans won’t have to wait long to see who comes out on top in this high-stakes middleweight clash.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.