Brendan Allen has crushed Reinier de Ridder's immediate hopes for a UFC middleweight title shot. De Ridder needed an impressive performance to justify a shot at Khamzat Chimaev. Instead, Allen, a short-notice replacement, played spoiler in Vancouver on Saturday.

Allen and De Ridder were competitive foils for each other, strong grapplers with in-your-face striking. The difference was Allen's ability to do damage from superior positions. When De Ridder was on top, he'd prioritize control and submission attempts that didn't make it far. When Allen was on top, he'd bludgeon De Ridder with hard strikes.

Fatigue was another significant factor. De Ridder was preparing for the endless cardio of Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez, yet slowed down much quicker than Allen, who stepped in on four weeks' not

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