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Reinier de Ridder is facing quitting claims after his first loss since joining the UFC. The former two-weight ONE Championship titleholder has won four fights since debuting in MMA’s premier promotion in November 2024. Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and top prospect Bo Nickal fell to defeats against the Dutchman, who hoped to secure himself a shot at Khamzat Chimaev‘s 185lb title on Saturday night. Reinier de Ridder ended up suffering a shock loss to Brendan Allen as the towel came in following the fourth round of their main event matchup at UFC Vancouver. Watch Reinier de Ridder quit in ONE Championship Fans were quick to call Reinier de Ridder a quitter after his first loss inside the UFC Octagon. That’s because it was very similar to a defeat he suffered against Anatoly Malykhin in March 2024. De Ridder lost by first-round KO when they first fought for the ONE Championship light heavyweight title in December 2022. Over two years later, Malykhin made him quit in the third round of their eagerly anticipated rematch. An exhausted De Ridder lay on the ground and refused to stand up after a wrestling exchange. Referee Herb Dean told him to get up multiple times, but De Ridder remained seated on his knees, waiting for the fight to be waved off. Reinier De Ridder’s coach issues statement Reinier De Ridder’s coach has opened up about his controversial decision to end the UFC Vancouver main event. Harun Ozkan took full responsibility for pulling De Ridder out of the fight, killing all claims of quitting. “Friends, fans, and supporters,” he wrote on the Instagram page for his gym, Combat Brothers. “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.”
