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Reinier de Ridder admits to feeling ‘sting’ after ufc Vancouver’s defeat by Brendan Allen, which led to accusations that he “quit”.
After joining the UFC from ONE Championship in November 2024, De Ridder put in an impressive performance and went 4-0 before facing Allen on Saturday.
But in his fifth middleweight fight in 11 months, the former ONE light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion ran out of strength, and was showing visible exhaustion before retiring to his stool before the fifth and final round.
The 35-year-old Dutchman had a good start against the 29-year-old American, but after an encouraging first round, “RDR” began to tire to the point where he became dominant and could not continue.
“I wasn’t the best fighter in the cage on Saturday and that’s sad,” De Ridder wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “But in addition to all the crazy highs, I’m also grateful to have experienced the lows. A lot of people live life at a constant 6/10 but as a fighter we get to experience the whole set of options.
“If we’ve shared the mats you know I work harder and harder than anyone else. But in the last two camps, I might have exaggerated a little bit. I was so focused on getting that title shot and being ready when the opportunity came that I failed to listen to my body and it showed last Saturday.
“I won’t stray out of the way, but Dad is taking some time off for the kids. I wasn’t myself but I will be again. If you know me, you know what I’m coming for. Be well out there and see you soon.”
De Ridder made his UFC debut with a submission of veteran Gerald Meerschaert, before submitting Kevin Holland in January and stopping the highly touted Bo Nickel in May. Then, in July, the Dutchman Defeated former champion Robert Whittaker by a narrow margin,
That run made De Ridder a contender for a title shot against the new champion Khamzat ChimaevAlthough he was Tasked with facing Anthony Hernandez in Vancouver firstOnly the latter had to withdraw due to injury. Up ahead was Allen, who overcame a difficult start to thrash RDR.
The manner of De Ridder’s defeat was criticized not only by fans but also by the fighters, with Chimaev tweeting: “This bulls*** guy just gave up.” Meanwhile, unanimous next title challenger Nasourdin Imavov wrote, “Knew it” with a laughing emoji.