Ahead of this weekend’s UFC Vancouver, Reinier de Ridder finds himself in an amazing spot. Why? Well, if ‘The Dutchman’ beats Brendan Allen in the main event, a title fight against Khamzat Chimaev may be in order. ‘RDR’ vs ‘Borz’ would be a massive clash, especially early next year when the promotion enters the Paramount+ CBS era. Plus, this fight would be the perfect lead-up to the White House card. So, the positives run high in this matchup. However, there’s a grave problem.  

Although the hype behind ‘RDR’ is massive right now, it is only poised to grow if he wins at the UFC Vancouver main event. But then, there are arguments as to why ‘The Dutch Knight’ shouldn’t be the next to face the reigning middleweight champ. Several factors actually prove that De Ridder doesn’t deserve a title shot just yet. For starters, winning on October 18th wouldn’t be enough. 

Beating Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver won’t be enough 

Reinier de Ridder and Brendan Allen — two renowned middleweights — will clash in the UFC Vancouver main event. However, as this week’s headliner stands, the journey hasn’t been smooth. At first, the UFC booked De Ridder against Anthony Hernandez with title implications in mind. Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov beat Caio Borralho via decision at UFC Paris. So, it’s clear we were about to find Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent from this mix. However, everything came crashing down just before the Canadian fight night event. 

Unfortunately, #6-ranked middleweight ‘Fluffy’ suffered a serious injury before the fight and had to pull out, apologizing on Instagram, saying, “I want to sincerely apologize to the @ufc, to my opponent @deriddermma, and to everyone who was looking forward to this matchup.” As a result, #9-ranked Brendan Allen answered the UFC’s call to step in as one half of the Vancouver main event, seeing it as his best opportunity to push himself closer to a title shot. 

Although Allen’s chances for a future title bout (not immediately) would rise if he wins this weekend, the same can’t be said for De Ridder. Why? Well, if ‘RDR’ scores another decision win over ‘All In’, it would likely diminish his chances of facing Chimaev next. Even if the Dutchman knocks Allen out, it would still be a win over a fighter ranked five spots below him in the middleweight division. Now, how’s that any different from beating ‘Fluffy,’ you ask? 

Well, Hernandez earned his ranking by finishing Roman Dolidze impressively in his last fight — and that win pushed him to #7, which later turned into #6. So, if ‘RDR’ fought and finished him, it still would’ve made some sense, since no one above him has taken a fight. However, now that the #9-ranked fighter has moved up, beating him shouldn’t propel De Ridder ahead of Imavov, who already has a much stronger resume than ‘RDR’. 

Nassourdine Imavov makes a stronger case than Reinier de Ridder  

Nassourdine Imavov has always been the dark horse of the middleweight division, taking on some of the toughest challenges anyone could face in the weight class. Yet, still without any guarantee of a title shot. Currently, the Dagestani-Frenchman rides a five-fight winning streak — the same as De Ridder — but the quality of Imavov’s opponents is far higher. 

The list of ‘The Sniper’s’ last five opponents includes surging contender Roman Dolidze, former title challenger Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen, whom ‘RDR’ is set to face at UFC Vancouver. The biggest win of Imavov’s career was against middleweight legend Israel Adesanya this February at UFC Abu Dhabi, which many believed should’ve secured his title shot. But then, the Frenchman went a step further and put his ranking on the line against Caio Borralho at UFC Paris. 

On the flipside, the Dutch former ONE FC titleholder started strong with a solid win over Gerald Meerschaert, followed by a decent victory against Kevin Holland. The real turning point in his UFC career came when he stopped Bo Nickal’s hype train at UFC Des Moines — though let’s be honest here — Nickal wasn’t even ranked when ‘RDR’ faced him. Sure, a win over former champion Robert Whittaker was impressive. But it’s also true that he barely edged him out with a split decision and didn’t make the kind of statement Imavov made against Adesanya. 

So, if we actually compare their careers right now, which one truly deserves the gold next? Just in terms of tenure and body of work, it has to be Nassourdine Imavov, who should face Khamzat Chimaev next year for the title during the Paramount+ era. Not Reinier de Ridder. Even if he flatlines Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver. That said, there’s still a path that could absolutely make ‘The Dutch of the Knight’ the next in line for a title shot. 

What should ‘RDR’s path to a middleweight title shot look like? 

Now that we understand why Reinier de Ridder shouldn’t get a title shot right after his next win, it’s also fair to expect that he’s not too far from it. ‘RDR’ already holds some impressive victories, and adding another one would definitely cement his spot once Imavov and Chimaev finish their clash in the future. Currently, the former ONE Championship titleholder’s most celebrated win is over ‘The Reaper,’ and he needs to surpass that performance in his next fight. 

To do that, De Ridder may need to call out Israel Adesanya for a future clash — assuming he gets the win at the UFC Vancouver main event. Right now, ‘The Last Stylebender’ is eyeing a comeback to the Octagon, and what better opponent than a fighter who mirrors Dricus du Plessis’ striking style? Speaking of which, he could also call out ‘DDP’ himself, and that’s would be a fun fight. 

Although the South African camp might be busy fixing the mistakes they made against ‘Borz’ at UFC 319, what better way to test those adjustments than by facing a world-class grappler like De Ridder? So, if ‘RDR’ manages to score one of those big wins next year, he would be absolutely ready to challenge for the gold.

That said, as UFC Vancouver approaches at lightning speed, do you agree that Reinier de Ridder deserves a title shot after a win over Brendan Allen? Let us know in the comments section below.