UFC Vancouver’s main event turned into a nightmare for Reinier de Ridder as he faced Brendan Allen in what was billed as a potential middleweight title eliminator. The Dutchman entered the Octagon on a four-fight win streak and was originally set to face Anthony Hernandez on the October 18 Fight Night card. However, after ‘Ruffy’ pulled out due to injury, Allen stepped in on short notice.
Many believed it would be a straightforward night for the former ONE FC double champion, but things went downhill fast. After four grueling rounds, de Ridder’s corner threw in the towel, unwilling to let him continue, giving Allen a shocking upset victory. While de Ridder initially addressed the loss with humility, he has now come forward with a surprising revelation about what really happened that night and the condition of his body three weeks after the card.
Reinier de Ridder Admits He’s Still Out of Breath Three Weeks After UFC Vancouver Bout
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, de Ridder opened up about the physical challenges he has been battling since the October 18 card and even before that. He admitted, “I still feel like sh*t, when I walk up stairs, I’m out of breath.”
When asked about the specifics of his illness, the host pointed to Norovirus, the same condition Alex Pereira reportedly struggled with before his first bout against Magomed Ankalaev in March 2025.
However, de Ridder clarified, “Yeah, there’s a lot of information coming back from the blood work. I don’t want to be too specific because then I will never get a rematch, but there’s some physical stuff that’s wrong, and I’m going to see if I can fix all of this before I come back.”
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The Dutchman went on to explain that this isn’t a new issue. “As I said, it’s something I’ve struggled with in the past, with the second [Anatoly Malykhin] fight, and I thought I fixed it, but apparently I didn’t. I’m working to find out everything, to get everything straight, and get a good plan to get this fixed.”
De Ridder also acknowledged how hard it has been to stay away from the Octagon. “It’s hard to take time off, because I want to get back in there as soon as possible… I’m looking for a new obsession.”
Reflecting on his preparation for UFC Vancouver, the former ONE FC champion admitted his fight camp was far from ideal. “Yeah, most importantly, I f**ked that up, I f**ked that up big time. In training camp, looking back, I was just pushing myself way too far, and basically the entire camp, I was feeling slow, very run down, very tired after every session and during every session.”
Reinier de Ridder Reveals He Wasn’t 100% Heading Into His UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Against Robert Whittaker
He even revealed that the same problem affected his previous fight in Abu Dhabi against Robert Whittaker. “To be honest, even in the Robert camp, I wasn’t even feeling like myself in the last couple of weeks. But I was very stubborn as a Dutchman is supposed to be and kept pushing myself, kept going harder and harder and harder. And well, yeah, that’s what showed in the fight.”
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Finally, de Ridder admitted that his relentless schedule over the past year took a toll on his body. “And I am not even sure if it was the weight cut. It must have played a part because it was very hard to get down this time. But most importantly, I just beat my body up this year like crazy. And I went too far.”
The Dutchman’s actions in Vancouver quickly became a hot topic among MMA fans. For those unaware, de Ridder is a massive middleweight, often cutting between 25 to 30 pounds to make the 185-pound limit. Doing that multiple times a year can take a serious toll on the body, and de Ridder now seems to be feeling the effects.
Despite his honesty right after the bout, de Ridder found himself at the center of online trolling from fellow fighters. Khamzat Chimaev accused him of quitting mid-fight, while Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland took turns mocking the former ONE Championship double champion. To make matters worse, Nassourdine Imavov also joined in on the ridicule.
For context, both de Ridder and Imavov were leading contenders to face Chimaev next for the middleweight title. While the Frenchman boosted his case with a dominant win over Caio Borralho at UFC Paris, de Ridder’s loss to Brendan Allen derailed his momentum.
The setback came after an incredibly busy schedule: UFC Vancouver marked de Ridder’s fifth fight in less than a year since his UFC debut last November. Before that defeat, he had built strong momentum with victories over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, Bo Nickal, and former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker.
Now, all eyes are on how the Dutchman recovers from this rough stretch and charts his path back toward middleweight contention.
