Some fight build-ups flow smoothly, others twist and turn before the Octagon door even shuts. For Reinier De Ridder, this one has already taken a sharp detour. What was meant to be a clash with Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez has now transformed into a new challenge, and the road to a potential title shot looks different than it did just days ago.
The Dutchman was eyeing a pivotal test against Hernandez in Vancouver. Then came the curveball: an injury, an apology, and an opponent reshuffle. And if that wasn’t enough chaos, whispers of a Paulo Costa showdown surfaced, only to collapse before the ink could dry. So what really went down?
Hernandez was the first domino to fall. In a recent Instagram post, ‘Fluffy’ confirmed his withdrawal from UFC Vancouver, writing, “As you’ve all probably seen unfortunately, I’ve had to pull out of my upcoming fight due to injury. I want to sincerely apologize to the @ufc, to my opponent (De Ridder), and to everyone who was looking forward to this matchup. I also want to thank (Brendan Allen) for stepping up, it means a lot. To my fans, thank you for always tuning in, supporting me, and riding with me through everything.”
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But that wasn’t the only twist in this saga, according to Ali Abdelaziz, CEO of Dominance MMA, the UFC briefly floated Paulo Costa as a replacement. In a post on X, Abdelaziz indicated, “RDR was supposed to fight Hernandez but Hernandez got hurt, wish him speedy recovery. RDR got offered Costa and he accepted, after that UFC told us it’s not a go. Brendan Allen has now stepped up and this is the new main event for 10.18 in Vancouver.”
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With Costa unavailable, Brendan Allen stepped up, turning the October 18 main event in Vancouver into an unexpected but still crucial middleweight clash.
For Reinier Ridder, the stakes remain high. The former ONE two-division champion is unbeaten in the UFC at 4-0, with his most recent win a razor-close split decision over Robert Whittaker. That victory positioned him as one of the division’s most intriguing threats. A win in Vancouver could push him even closer to Khamzat Chimaev’s newly claimed middleweight throne.
Brendan Allen, meanwhile, enters the spotlight with much to prove. ‘All In’ has flirted with the top of the division before, but inconsistency has held him back. Losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Hernandez stalled his rise, but his recent rebound against Marvin Vettori at UFC 318 showed resilience. On short notice, he now faces a chance to rewrite his standing and upset one of the UFC’s fastest-rising middleweights.
Still, questions linger. Was Paulo Costa ever a real option, or was it just smoke during the scramble to replace Hernandez? Well, ‘The Eraser’ has now come out with his version of the story, and it paints a different picture of the entire re-shuffle!
Paulo Costa takes aim at “cowards” as he comes out with a bold claim about his UFC Vancouver negotiations
Paulo Costa has never been one to keep his cards close to the chest. Just days after reports emerged that his planned showdown with Sharaputdin Magomedov collapsed, the Brazilian fired off a fiery Instagram post that’s now adding fuel to the middleweight rumor mill. According to him, what went down behind the scenes for UFC Vancouver was far different from the official story being floated.
Costa shared, “After Shara pulled out I got some news…Somebody hurts in the main event so UFC called me to fighting an top5 in few weeks for 5 rounds. To be fair, I propose 3 rounds due short time, UFC agreed but guess what, he said no for 3 rounds. What heck! Cowards … gonna exposing them. My Vintage version is back and people are scared”
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The timing of Costa’s post couldn’t be more intriguing. His fight with “Shara Bullet” was pegged for UFC’s debut in Qatar this November, but Magomedov opted for surgery instead. That left Costa on the sidelines at least until the UFC apparently dangled a top-five opponent in front of him.
As such, Costa’s fiery claim that a top-five rival rejected him directly contradicts the account put forward by Ali Abdelaziz, who had written that the “UFC told us it’s a no-go”, leaving fans to wonder who’s telling the truth. Was this simply a scheduling scramble gone wrong, or is there more to the politics of matchmaking than meets the eye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!