“All-”In” isn’t impressed.
No. 9-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Brendan Allen is set to collide with red-hot contender Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver this weekend (Sat., Oct. 19, 2025) inside Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
De Ridder has taken the UFC by storm this year, fighting three times and racking up major wins — including becoming the first man to defeat super prospect Bo Nickal (watch highlights) and edging former champion
Robert Whittaker in a razor-close battle.
But according to his next opponent, Allen isn’t buying the hype.
“He doesn’t impress me — maybe I’m just hard to impress,” Allen told reporters at UFC Vancouver media day (watch here). “There hasn’t been one fight or one moment where you think, ‘Oh man, this guy is crazy or something special.’ He’s tough, he’s durable, his jiu-jitsu isn’t bad — but really, what is there? Maybe you see something else, but I haven’t seen anything special or that he’s got that ‘it.’ But hey, he’s getting wins.”
When asked about De Ridder’s level of competition, “All-In” didn’t hold back, suggesting the Dutchman’s resume isn’t as strong as it seems.
“It wasn’t the Robert Whittaker who fought Yoel Romero, or when he was at the top of his game. Bo Nickal is super green and super young in his career,” Allen said. “Kevin Holland – I fought Holland when he was coming off Thaigo Santos in my UFC debut. He hasn’t fought guys that are young and hungry, guys that are his size. Most of the guys he has fought are afraid to go to the ground with him, so they act differently, and I think Whittaker was one of those guys.”
“I think everyone is building his hype and this false sense that he’s something that he isn’t. He’s not that guy,“ Allen concluded. “He hasn’t had a guy put it on him for real, and he hasn’t had to take it. He’s just not that guy.”
Allen snapped a two-fight losing streak in his last outing, defeating heated rival Marvin Vettori, and now looks to stop De Ridder’s surge before it hits title contention territory.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vancouver fight card, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 7 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Vancouver: “de Ridder vs. Allen” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
