RDR on losing ‘Fluffy’ fight, training tension with Brendan Allen
Reinier de Ridder on losing ‘Fluffy’ fight, training tension with Brendan Allen
Reinier de Ridder fully expects to emerge as the UFC middleweight No. 1 contender if he beats Brendan Allen.
De Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was scheduled to meet Anthony Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 262 headliner on Oct. 18 in Vancouver, but Hernandez withdrew and was replaced by Allen (25-7 MMA, 13-4 UFC). De Ridder said there were talks of potentially rebooking Hernandez, but Hernandez’s injury appears to be serious. The 35-year-old wants to maintain his busy schedule, so UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev can find a ready opponent.
“I don’t want to wait. I want to line myself up to fight maybe before Ramadan,” De Ridder told MMA Junkie Radio. “If Khamzat wants to fight before Ramadan, I want to be ready for that time. I want to fight right now, and the UFC wanted to keep me on the fight in Vancouver, so it worked out that way.”
Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is confident that he’s done enough to get the title shot after notching his fifth-straight win over Caio Borralho at UFC Paris, but De Ridder disagrees.
“No, f*ck off. I’m next,” De Ridder said.
De Ridder, who will look to notch his fifth UFC win in a calendar year, is currently also prepping for Chimaev’s heavy grappling style.
“That was the fun thing about the ‘Fluffy’ matchup, as well: He would be a great dress rehearsal for the Khamzat fight because of his wrestling and the way he likes to get to the back, as well, pretty similar as Khamzat does, but we didn’t get that one,” De Ridder said. “But we just got a new batch of Chechen guys at the gym, so I’ve been working a lot on my wrestling with those guys over the last couple of weeks, and of course I’m already preparing for what the title fight is going to be like.”
