Expert picks, best bets: Can Reinier de Ridder continue his 2025 win
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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 Allen to win fights, he has to be able to take his opponent down. He’s typically the better grappler in every fight he wins. Here, I think De Ridder is probably the better grappler. De Ridder should be able to reverse any position Allen puts him in and end up on top. I’m saying De Ridder by decision, but it wouldn’t surprise me if De Ridder got the submission. — Din Thomas
Allen is a better striker than De Ridder, and I think he’s the better wrestler. I don’t think De Ridder will…
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