Brendan Allen isn’t surprised his UFC Vancouver win over Reinier de Ridder ended the way it did.
Allen intervened at short notice when De Ridder needed a new opponent. Anthony Hernandez was scheduled to meet “RDR” this past Saturday at Rogers Arena, but he was removed from the fight due to an injury. “All In” made the most of his opportunity and forced De Ridder’s corner to end the fight before the start of the fifth round.
During the UFC Vancouver post-fight press conference, Allen explained why he felt like the scenario that played out on fight night wasn’t surprising to him (h/t MMA Junkie).
“You can see it when he fought Anatoly Malykhin for the second time in ONE,” Allen said. “He did the same thing. I think he did the same thing in the third or fourth round. So yeah, I knew I could get it done. Twenty-five minutes is a very long time to take punishment. I didn’t think he could do it. He took a lap longer than I thought, but I didn’t start too hot in the first either, so three rounds of dominance.”
Allen hopes to eventually get a shot at the UFC middleweight championship. Many believe Nassourdine Imavov is now the clear No. 1 contender for the 185-pound gold. Imavov defeated Caio Borralho by unanimous decision in September.
Allen is aware that the 185-pound weight class has some depth. If a title shot isn’t next, ‘All In’ wants to do everything he can to solidify its status as a No. 1 contender.
“This division is stacked. It’s steadily growing, even more stacked. I’m still at the top and I’m still trying to reach that belt.”
BJPenn.com will keep you updated on the UFC middleweight title picture in the coming weeks and months.
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