MMA Match Preview: Reinier de Ridder (21-2) vs. Brendan Allen (25-7)

Venue & Fight Details

Event: UFC Fight Night 262: de Ridder vs. Allen

Bout: Middleweight Main Event (185 lbs), 5 rounds

Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Time: Main Card at 7:00 p.m. ET (Prelims at 4:00 p.m. ET)

Broadcast: ESPN+ (U.S.), UFC Fight Pass (International)

Fighter Records & Recent Form

Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC): Former ONE Championship two-division champion. Since joining the UFC in late 2024, he has beaten Bo Nickal, Kevin Holland, Gerald Meerschaert, and most recently Robert Whittaker. Known for elite grappling but has shown improved striking, including a KO of Nickal.

Brendan Allen (25-7 MMA, 13-4 UFC): A proven UFC veteran with wins over Marvin Vettori, Chris Curtis, Paul Craig, and Kevin Holland. After a seven-fight win streak, he dropped consecutive fights to Nassourdine Imavov and Anthony Hernandez before rebounding with a decision win over Vettori in July 2025.

Recent Form (last 5 fights):

De Ridder: W–W–W–L–W

Allen: W–L–L–W–W

Injury Report

Both fighters enter with no reported injuries and full training camps completed.

Key Matchups

Grappling: De Ridder is a world-class submission artist (15 career subs), while Allen is also a strong grappler with 13 submission wins. This could be a rare grappling-heavy chess match.

Striking: De Ridder has improved his stand-up, but Allen is the more fluid striker with better boxing combinations.

Durability: De Ridder has been stopped once in his career, while Allen has been finished four times but is notoriously tough.

Series History

First-ever meeting between these two middleweights.

De Ridder is 4-0 in the UFC, all against ranked opponents.

Allen is 13-4 in the UFC, with multiple main-event appearances.

Betting Trends

De Ridder has finished 18 of his 21 wins (86%).

Allen has finished 18 of his 25 wins (72%).

Allen has not won as an underdog in nearly six years.

FIGHT ODDS

Reinier de Ridder             – 195

Brendan Allen                   + 165

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 17, 2025