Reinier de Ridder isn’t impressed with Brendan Allen’s grappling expertise.
Together with his title on the road, RDR heads into this Saturday’s UFC Vancouver headliner with willpower. He was initially scheduled to face Anthony Hernandez, however when “Fluffy” left attributable to harm, Allen changed him.
Waiting for a high-stakes match at The Nice White North, de Ridder gave his sincere opinion on Allen’s mat work.
“Brendan’s boxing could be very, excellent, very sharp,” De Ridder advised MMA Combating. “He likes to get within the pocket. He is bought fairly fast palms, throws nice combos, and has a good right-mid kick. His grappling is nice, however just a little sloppy at instances. He falls off his again rather a lot. His wrestling is first rate, he has first rate takedowns, he has first rate takedown protection, however it’s not that nice.”
“The largest factor he lacks is that he fades just a little bit within the later rounds. He began very arduous, very sharp, very effectively within the first spherical, however within the later rounds he fades just a little bit. He would not look that drained both, however, I do not know, one thing has modified and he is not the identical man anymore.”
Lower than a yr after breaking into the UFC, De Ridder has already racked up massive wins over names like Kevin Holland, Bo Knickal, and most not too long ago, Robert Whittaker. He at the moment ranks because the No. 4 contender within the middleweight division, and has had a powerful exhibiting with a shot in opposition to the highest canine within the division, Khamzat Chimaev.
As for Allen, the South Carolina native may skyrocket into the highest 5 with a win on Oct. 18 and might be on the cusp of title rivalry, regardless of dropping two of his final three fights contained in the Octagon.
