Anthony Hernandez spoke after missing out on the biggest fight of his career to date.
We still don’t know who will be the first middleweight to challenge Khamzat Chimaev for the title.
Nassourdine Imavov defeated Caio Borralho at UFC Paris to stake his claim as the next in line, though the manner of his win led to some suggesting that he could still miss out.
The main event of UFC Vancouver was set to pit another two of the top contenders in the division against one another, where the winner had the chance to overtake Imavov.
Unfortunately, there is now a new main event heading to Canada on October 18, with Anthony Hernandez now addressing what happened.
Anthony Hernandez posts apologetic statement in reaction to UFC Vancouver withdrawal
Either Anthony Hernandez or Reinier de Ridder could have emerged as the next title challenger at 185 pounds if they were able to produce a statement win in Vancouver.
While Nassourdine Imavov has the more high-profile wins, the two men that were set to meet each other on October 18 have received a lot of fan support following their recent performances.
Brendan Allen has now taken Hernandez’s place to face de Ridder next month, which is devastating news for ‘Fluffy’ considering what was at stake.
He reacted to the news being made official via a post on Instagram, confirming that he was forced to withdraw from the matchup due to an injury.
Hernandez also thanked Allen, who he has beaten on two separate occasions, for taking his place on the card.
“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 Reinier 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.
“Right now, my focus is on getting healthy so I can come back stronger than ever. When I return, I’ll be ready to make a statement.”
In a reply to Hernandez’s post, de Ridder wished his fellow contender well.
“S— happens, get well soon!”
Reinier de Ridder’s manager claims Brendan Allen wasn’t the first opponent they agreed to
Fans were disappointed to learn that Anthony Hernandez will no longer be in action at UFC Vancouver.
Not only was his clash with Reinier de Ridder a fascinating matchup, it carried huge stakes for both men in their pursuit of the middleweight title.
While de Ridder facing Brendan Allen instead feels like a sizable downgrade, the Dutchman’s manager recently posted on social media to reveal that they said yes to a different opponent first.
In a post of his own, Paulo Costa claims that the reason he isn’t stepping in is because he requested for the fight to be three rounds due to the short notice, which he says de Ridder turned down.