Reinier de Ridder’s title aspirations took a hit after his scheduled opponent withdrew.
After Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borralho in Paris, there was still another middleweight bout that could decide the next title challenger.
The division found itself in a rare spot where there were four viable contenders to face Khamzat Chimaev in the undefeated champion’s first title defense.
Unfortunately, one of these names dropped out of contention after Anthony Hernandez withdrew from facing Reinier de Ridder next month.
While ‘The Dutch Knight’ will still be in action on October 18 in Vancouver, things haven’t played out the way he would have hoped.
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Reinier de Ridder slams Paulo Costa for making demands for UFC Vancouver fight that led to Brendan Allen matchup
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Reinier de Ridder shared his thoughts on the new main event for UFC Vancouver.
Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez posted a statement after pulling out of the fight due to an injury with his expected return timeframe ruling out the possibility of the matchup being rebooked.
“No, it was a big let down,” de Ridder said. “It’s a shame. He really has a cool skill set, ‘Fluffy’ has and he came in with a lot of hype so it was very sad that he pulled out.”
De Ridder will now face the #11-ranked Brendan Allen in a bout that is a big step back for the Dutch fighter.
He revealed in the interview that Paulo Costa had been offered the fight, but the Brazilian had a list of demands for taking it.
“He wanted it to be a catchweight and only three rounds. It would have been fine for me to be honest but yeah, I don’t know.”
Costa would have undoubtedly been a bigger matchup for de Ridder, and while he isn’t sure exactly why this didn’t happen, he criticized the former title challenger’s requests.
“I don’t know. I’m not really sure what happened but I think if you get a shot like that, to fight for a main event, get another chance to come up in the rankings, I think you should just shut up and say yes, not put your own terms in there. Catchweight, only three rounds, f— off. Take the fight.”
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Reinier de Ridder is still confident that a win will earn him a title shot
Beating Brendan Allen next month will see Reinier de Ridder move to 5-0 inside the Octagon despite only debuting with the promotion last November.
Despite this remarkable activity, a win over the American isn’t going to be anywhere near as impactful as his fight with Anthony Hernandez would have been.
This announcement is a huge boost for Nassourdine Imavov, who some argued was in danger of not getting the title shot after fighting to a decision in France.
De Ridder told MMA Junkie that he categorically believes that he’ll still earn the next shot if he is victorious on October 18.
“No, f— off. I’m next.”