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Brett Okamoto
A highly anticipated middleweight matchup between Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder will no longer take place on Oct. 18, after Hernandez withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.
UFC officials announced Hernandez’s withdrawal Monday. De Ridder (12-2) will remain on the card and now face fellow middleweight contender Brendan Allen (25-7). The 185-pound contest headlines UFC Fight Night in Vancouver.
Hernandez apologized to the UFC and de Ridder in a social media post Monday night, adding that he was focused on “getting healthy so I can come back stronger than ever.”
The UFC is looking for its next middleweight title challenger, and the original bout between Hernandez and De Ridder could have gone a long way in shaping the landscape. Khamzat Chimaev claimed the championship by defeating Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision in August. Currently, the short list of challengers for Chimaev includes France’s Nassourdine Imavov, Hernandez and De Ridder, with an outside possibility of former champion Sean Strickland.
De Ridder will be making his fifth UFC appearance in a span of less than 12 months. He is coming off a split decision win against former champion Robert Whittaker in July. Allen, a four-year veteran of the UFC, is coming off an entertaining decision win over Marvin Vettori in July at UFC 318.