Middleweight contenders de Ridder, Hernandez headline October UFC show in Vancouver
Reinier (The Dutch Knight) de Ridder, ranked fifth among UFC middleweight contenders, will face No. 6 Anthony (Fluffy) Hernandez in the main event of the Oct. 18 UFC Fight Night card in Vancouver.
Both men are looking to win their way into a title fight against newly crowned 185-pound champion Khamzat Chimaev, who dethroned South African Dricus du Plessis on Saturday at UFC 319 in Chicago.
De Ridder (21-2-0) has won all four UFC bouts to date, stopping former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker by split decision last time out in July, and is currently on a five-fight winning streak. The 31-year-old Dutch fighter is a former middleweight and light-heavyweight titleholder in the One Championship promotion.
Hernandez (15-2-0 with one no-contest) has won his last eight fights, including a 2022 submission victory over Canadian Marc-Andre (Power-Bar) Barriault. He submitted Georgia’s Roman (The Caucasian) Dolidze last time out in August to improve his UFC record to 9-2-0, and his run of eight wins includes six finishes and four performance bonuses.
