De Ridder vs. Hernandez Headlines UFC Fight Night in Vancouver
The UFC’s middleweight division continues to take shape, and on October 18, Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez will headline the UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver.
The announcement of this fight was made by UFC CEO Dana White just three days after Khamzat Chimaev was crowned middleweight champion following his victory over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
De Ridder (21-2), hailing from the Netherlands, has had a spectacular 2025. With a 3-0 record this year, he secured victories over Kevin Holland, the promising Bo Nickal, and former champion Robert Whittaker. Since July 2024, De Ridder, 34 years old, boasts an impressive 5-0 record with four finishes.
Hernandez (15-2) has also shown remarkable performance, with an eight-fight winning streak. Nicknamed “Fluffy”, Hernandez is coming off a performance that earned him a performance bonus against Roman Dolidze on August 9th.
De Ridder and Hernandez occupy the number 5 and 6 positions, respectively, in the middleweight ranking. The middleweight division will be in the spotlight in the coming months, as Nassourdine Imavov, number 2 in the ranking, will face Caio Borralho, number 7, on September 6.
In addition to the main event, White announced a bantamweight fight between Marlon Vera and Aiemann Zahabi, a middleweight clash between Holland and Mike Mallott, and a women’s flyweight bout between Manon Fiorot and Jasmine Jasudavicius for the event in Vancouver.
