Riding one of the hottest streaks in the UFC, Reinier de Ridder (21-2) is back in action for the fourth time this year at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, prelims at 4 p.m.). His opponent, Brendan Allen (25-7), is stepping in on short notice after Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez withdrew because of injury last month.

De Ridder, ESPN's sixth-ranked middleweight , is undefeated in his four-fight UFC tenure and Allen, No. 10 by ESPN, is also coming off a win. He won a unanimous decision over veteran Marvin Vettori in July.

ESPN MMA analysts Din Thomas and Anthony Smith provide their main event predictions, and ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight on the value bets available on the fight card.

Middleweight main event

In order for

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