There it is! UFC Fight Night: Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen came to a dramatic halt at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Who could have thought that the short-notice replacement, Allen, would make de Ridder quit on the stool? The five-round main event wasn’t originally slated to feature ‘All In’, but after Anthony Hernandez withdrew due to an undisclosed injury, the Canadian contender stepped in to face de Ridder in a showdown between two elite submission specialists with aggressive striking styles. 

Brendan Allen defeated Reinier de Ridder by fifth-round TKO after a grueling ground battle. De Ridder started strong, dominating Round 1 with superior grappling, but Allen took control from Round 2 onward with heavy elbows and relentless pressure. As the fight wore on, de Ridder faded badly, absorbing punishment on the ground. Exhausted and bloodied, he couldn’t answer the bell for Round 5, giving Allen the comeback victory. Now the question is, who’s next for Allen?

Who will Brendan Allen fight next?

Brendan Allen entered UFC Fight Night 262 ranked No. 9 in the middleweight division. With a victory over No. 4-ranked Reinier de Ridder, Allen will now be catapulted to the top 5-6 range. The initial bout between ‘Fluffy’ and ‘RDR’ was explicitly framed as a title eliminator for the middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, with media reports confirming the winner earns a shot at the belt.

But has Allen done enough to barge into the title conversation with this upset win? No.

The Vancouver win marked Allen’s second victory since winning a unanimous decision against Marvin Vettori in July this year, positioning him as a legitimate contender in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions. And for that reason, a title fight with Chimaev being next is outside the realm of logical probability.

You can expect a quick turnaround for Allen in the next few months. And in all likelihood, he could appear against a top-8 contender. He could have a rematch against No. 6-ranked Anthony Hernandez or No. 2-ranked Nassourdine Imavov. They are the remaining frontrunners in the title race, and Allen suffered back-to-back losses against them two fights ago. Redemption and a title shot await with wins over those names. Next comes the grudge match.

Grudge match vs. rematch: Allen’s perfect UFC Vancouver callouts

Brendan Allen and Dricus du Plessis’ longstanding beef is public knowledge now. It all started over a joke the former champion made about Allen’s James 1:2-7” tattoo. After Allen’s September 2024 loss against Imavov, du Plessis wrote on X, “Tough luck Brendan Allen… JK you suck loser” with a laughing emoji. Allen fired back with, “Says the one been ducking me since getting in. We don’t all get the easy route. Wasn’t my night tonight……but I’ll still f*** you up.”

Leading up to the Hernandez fight, Allen made a remark that Du Plessis beat out-of-prime contenders in names like Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. After the loss, though, ‘All In’ disappointedly remarked he did not know what was next. Du Plessis slid in with, “I don’t know what’s next either, but I can most certainly tell what ain’t next for a very long time,” referring to denying him a shot at the title.

So, a grudge match with Du Plessis right now makes a lot of sense. ‘Stillknocks’ is fresh off a lopsided decision loss to Chimaev. Some might even argue that he deserves an instant rematch. If that’s not what the UFC wants, then a fight against Allen makes all the sense in the world.

Allen’s Octagon interview was perfect in that regard. He decalred, “Chimaev, you want a good grappler? You want someone that’s young and hungry? Come get it, baby. If not, Dricus, where you at? I’ve been trying to get you for a minute. And if not, Sean [Strickland], it’s time to run it back baby.”

He called for a title fight, a grudge match, and a rematch many had forgotten about. Way back in 2020, Sean Strickland came in on six days’ notice and disposed of him in two rounds. And this is a much more probable rematch than Imavov or ‘Fluffy’, who beat him inside the last twelve months.

Strickland is decisively out of the title picture for the time being. A win against Allen could get him a top-ranked contender. Two wins on the trot get him into the title picture with ease.

Three names were in the title picture before UFC Vancouver. Imavov, Hernandez, and de Ridder. Allen has taken the Dutchman out of the running, but that does not get him back into the race. Who do you think can do it for him? Du Plessis or Strickland? Let us know in the comments.