Brendan Allen isn’t mincing words when it comes to the UFC’s middleweight champion as he prepares to face Reinier de Ridder this Saturday at UFC Vancouver.
Allen (25-7) expressed concern that the division could be stalled by Khamzat Chimaev’s history of inactivity, stemming from injuries and other setbacks.
“I think there’s a couple divsion’s all over the place right now, and middleweight’s one of them,” Allen told Cageside Press at his media day scrum on Wednesday.
“It’s definitely a concern. It’s going to be very interesting to see how fast he wants to turn around. He’s a guy that’s been very open and honest about injuries, and setbacks with his health. Hopefully we don’t have to have an interim. If it comes to that hopefully we just strip and he comes back and fights for it. I guess we’ll see.”
Chimaev recently called for a shot at light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, a curious move, given he has yet to defend the middleweight title he won in August at UFC 319. The callout drew a smile from Allen.
“I think that’s kind of like the story of Chimaev, right? He just talks a lot, he gets a lot of eyes. It’s not to the degree, but it’s like Conor (McGregor) talking, talking, talking, just to stay relative,” he said.
“Chimaev’s not that bad. He doesn’t say that much stuff and that much reckless stuff. He’s got a lot of work to do in our division first. It’s not like he’s a huge 85er that’s cutting a lot like Alex was to get to 85. It’s weird, but I don’t think that’s in his future right now.”
At UFC Vancouver, Allen faces Reinier de Ridder, who remains unbeaten since joining the promotion last November. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder has defeated four straight middleweights and appears to be just one win away from a UFC title shot.
Allen has made it clear he’s not particularly impressed with de Ridder, and he seems to have a score to settle. De Ridder previously defeated Allen’s friend, former ONE Championship two-division titleholder Aung La Nsang, to claim both belts in 2020 and 2021, making this matchup a bit personal for Allen.
“I’ve always wanted to fight the guy. I think it’s a great matchup for me, stylistically, and what better way to hit the top 5 than to beat him and beat him on a main event,” he said.
“At the time with Kill Cliff when he fought Aung La when they were in ONE. Aung La was my friend. It kind of stems from that a little bit. I’m kind of like gang-gang, that’s my friend, that’s my boy. I kept the same energy. Now you come here to UFC.”
Allen believes experience and resilience matter more than overnight stardom, especially in a division as unforgiving as middleweight. Reflecting on his own path, he drew a sharp contrast between steady growth he’s experienced and sudden hype that de Ridder seems to be enjoying.
“Some of these guys have fast rises. They jump so quick in the rankings, and so quick in the spotlight, but how long (do) they really last? My career has never been fast and direct. I’ve had to build myself back a couple times. I’ve had to revitalize myself,” he said.
“He’s about to have to learn that in this promotion after Saturday.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Brendan Allen above. He headlines UFC Vancouver against Reinier de Ridder on Saturday night.
