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Harun Ozkan, Reinier De Ridder’s coach, has spoken out for the first time since Saturday’s controversial finish. De Ridder, a former ONE FC champion, spent much of four rounds struggling to stay upright in his UFC Vancouver main event against Brendan Allen. Between the fourth and fifth rounds, Ozkan made the unusual call to pull his fighter out of the bout from the corner. It is not uncommon in boxing for coaches to end a fight when there is no realistic path to victory, but such decisions are rarely seen in MMA or within the UFC. The trainer has now addressed what happened in a detailed statement on social media. Harun Ozkan explains why he stopped Reinier De Ridder’s fight De Ridder has yet to make any public comments since the fight, though that has not stopped confusion online, with some fans being tricked by a fake post replying to Khamzat Chimaev. However, Ozkan has provided some clarity about the decision to stop the fight. He addressed supporters on the Instagram page of his gym Combat Brothers: “Friends, fans, and supporters. I normally don’t share personal things on here, but I feel I owe a little explanation to everyone who’s been behind us. “First of all, thank you for the amazing support we’ve been receiving. It’s been a crazy and busy year so far. Last night didn’t go as we wanted. After a very strong start in the first round, things quickly started fading and we couldn’t really recover from the shots in and after the second round. “I made the call to stop the fight after the fourth round. I take full responsibility for that decision and it was the right call to make for me in the moment. It’s not a decision I ever wanted to make, but I guess sometimes you have to. “My job is to coach, but also to look out for my fighter’s health. I’ve been with Reinier for basically his whole career and saw too many signs that made me step in. If I didn’t do anything, he would’ve continued the fight. “Rather than risk unnecessary damage, I decided to call it a day and go home as healthy as possible. Live to fight another day.” De Ridder’s coach prioritised health over critics in UFC Vancouver stoppage Ozkan explained that he was not bothered by criticism if it meant protecting his fighter. “I absolutely do not care about pleasing others if it comes at the cost of someone’s health. There’s a thin line between ‘being tough’ and watching out for your health. This sport can be brutal. “These guys sacrifice a lot of their life in and out of the cage – there’s no need for excess damage if it can be avoided. Most people forget they’re human too. Zero excuses for this loss, we knew what we were going for. “We are not happy with this performance, but for now recovery first, evaluate some stuff and we will be back next year. It has been an amazing year overall and thankful for all the highs and lows in life. “Proud of you my brother @deriddermma. We’ve come a long way. Have a wonderful day everyone and thank you for the continued support.”
