Khamzat Chimaev had a target in mind for his first title defense: Reinier De Ridder. However, UFC Vancouver seems to have altered the trajectory of the middleweight division. RDR, one fight away from getting a title shot, lost in the way no fighter wants to see happen, his corner throwing in the towel just before Round 5 against Brendan Allen.

At Rogers Arena, Allen, who stepped in on short notice to replace Anthony Hernandez, shocked everyone with his performance against RDR. After dominating Round 1, RDR never looked in a position to win due to Allen’s pace, which ultimately exhausted Ridder and led his corner to stop the fight before Round 5. Reacting to this, Chimaev said, “This bullsh*t guy give up.”

Not just Chimaev, but many others, including Paulo Costa and Nassourdine Imavov, ha

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