In the UFC, Brendan Allen always carried the American flag with pride. Fighting out of Covington, Florida, ‘All-In’ had the USA audience rooting behind him. However, as he’s getting ready to face Reinier de Ridder at the UFC Vancouver main event, that’s about to change.  

The South Carolina native was born in Louisiana to his parents, Michelle and James Allen. Since the age of 13, he’s been chasing his MMA dreams right here in the USA. As his journey went on, Allen proudly carried the red, white, and blue ahead of his UFC fights. But now, as he gears up to fight at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he’ll be getting all the cheers while representing Canada. So, does that mean he’s Canadian? Here’s everything you need to know. 

Brendan Allen speaks about his Canadian roots ahead of UFC Vancouver   

By nationality, Brendan Allen is still American. He was born in South Carolina and fights out of Covington, Florida. However, in a social media video, ‘All-In’ explained that while he was born in the United States, his maternal grandparents are from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. That’s why he chose to represent the Great White North at UFC Vancouver.

In the video, Allen said, “What’s up, guys? Brendan ‘All-In’ Allen here. I can’t wait to represent Canada in Canada for UFC Vancouver on October 18th. I’ve represented Canada three or four times in my UFC career, but this will be my first time repping Canada in Canada, right in front of all of you. I can’t wait to put on a show. My grandparents on my mother’s side were born and raised in Canada. My grandma still has her green card here in America. They’re from the Edmonton, Alberta area, and I’m super excited.” 

Although the #9-ranked middleweight has mentioned representing Canada in the UFC before, he never specified which fights he was talking about. Maybe Allen meant he carried his Canadian roots with him, rather than an official representation like the one he’s planning at UFC Vancouver.

Well, the South Carolina native gears up to face Reinier de Ridder in the main event; it remains to be seen whether he’ll stick with the Canadian flag or switch back to representing America. While that’s still a mystery, one thing’s pretty clear — his path to a middleweight title shot gets a major boost if he picks up the win at Rogers Arena. 

Would ‘All In’ earn a title shot with a win over Reinier de Ridder?   

After a tough 2024, Brendan Allen bounced back from back-to-back losses with a win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 318. After that, it actually seemed like his climb to a 185 lbs title shot would be a long one. However, when Anthony Hernandez was ruled out of the UFC Vancouver main event, ‘All-In’ stepped up and answered the UFC’s call to headline the event against Reinier de Ridder. That’s how Allen’s chances to speed up his path to a title shot increased.

But as the Dutchman looks like the favorite to get a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev next year, the question remains. Would that apply to Brendan Allen, too? Well, it doesn’t seem so. If the Carolina grappler pulls off a victory, he’ll likely need to beat at least one former champ like Israel Adesanya or Sean Strickland in a rematch to actually earn a title shot, hopefully after Nassourdine Imavov and ‘Borz’ settle it next year.

That said, what do you think about Brendan Allen representing Canada at UFC Vancouver? Let us know in the comments section below.