Brendan Allen starts. UFC Vancouver has undergone an important change in the main event after Anthony Hernandez withdrew from his planned fight against Reinier de Ridder because of an unknown injury. The UFC announced on Monday that Brendan Allen will replace Hernandez in the headliner of October 18 in Rogers Arena.
Anthony Hernandez withdraws from UFC Vancouver, Brendan Allen steps in to face Reinier de Ridder in a new main event
On Tuesday, Hernandez broke his silence on social media and apologized to the organization, his opponent and fans. “I really want to apologize to the UFC and my opponent Reinier de Ridder, and to everyone who looked for this matchup,” Hernandez wrote. The nature of the injury and the timeline for its return remains unclear.
The withdrawal represents a setback for Hernandez, who rode an Eight-Vecht winning streak in August and positioned himself as a potential title candidate after his dominant victory over Roman Dolidze. That implementation, which ended in an entry victory at the UFC Apex, made many observers believe that Hernandez would receive the next title shot against newly crowned chamzat Chimaev champion.
Allen steps in the chance of the main event after his Fight of the Night version against Marvin Vettori on UFC 318 in July. The resident of Louisiana achieved a unanimous decision victory in New Orleans, in which a two-fight loss was broken with defeats for both Hernandez and Nassourdine Imavov. All is currently in 11th place in the Middleweight Division while retaining a 13-4 UFC record since he came to the promotion in 2019.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt keeps the second most submissions in UFC Middleweight History with 14 entry victories in his career. His recent victory over Vettori showed improved striking and busy, earned him performance bonuses and positioned him for this important step in the competition.
De Ridder stays in the headliner spot after his impressive 2025 campaign. The former title holder of two division of one championship has compiled a 4-0 UFC record, including a split decision victory on first champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi in July. That implementation strengthened its position as the fourth ranked middleweight competition and established him as a legitimate title threat.
The UFC official period of the Dutch hunter started with an entry victory at Gerald Meerschaert, followed by a first round finish of Kevin Holland and a uppery victory over previously undefeated Bo Nickal. His victory on Whittaker showed his ability to compete with opposition at elite level, with the help of his gripping background while he showed improved striking Fundamentals.
This change to the main event has important implications for the photo of the middleweight. Nassourdine Imavov is currently leading the competition race after his victory over Caio Borralho in UFC Paris earlier this month. However, a dominant victory of De Ridder on Allen could possibly jump him for Imavov for the next title Kans against Chimaev.
The map contains several other remarkable matchups, including Kevin Holland versus Mike Malott in Weltergewicht Action and Manon Fiorot against Jasmine Jasudavicius in the flight weight competition of ladies. The event marks the seventh visit of the UFC to Vancouver and only since UFC 289 in June 2023.
UFC Vancouver takes place on October 18 in Rogers Arena.
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