ABU DHABI – Nassourdine Imavov was surprised to see Reinier de Ridder unable to continue against Brendan Allen.
De Ridder (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) saw his win streak come to a halt when his corner threw in the towel after Round 4 of his UFC Vancouver main event against Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) this past Saturday. De Ridder admitted his body failed him after competing five times in a calendar year.
Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who believes he cemented himself as No. 1 contender after beating Caio Borralho in September, says he knew Allen would defeat de Ridder. Imavov holds a decision win over Allen in late 2024, which is part of his five-fight winning streak.
“Like I said before, for me, there was no tournament – I’m the only contender in this division,” Imavov told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I proved it. About RDR against Allen, I knew Allen would win, and I even bet with my manager for jokes because he was thinking RDR would win, and I told him media are doing a ton of things on him, and he’s overrated.
“He doesn’t have the level that people think he has, and that’s what Allen showed. I knew he was overrated because his fighting style, all the holes he has in his game. The mainstream public can’t see it, but me, as a professional fighter, I see all those holes, and I knew that when he fights the right opposition, he will lose. I faced Allen before, so I knew from my perspective, Allen would be better than him.”
Imavov disagrees with de Ridder and his team, opting not to continue fighting against Allen.
“As an elite fighter, you can’t give up,” Imavov said. “That’s your job, that’s what you do for a living. You are the highest level in the world, and you’re showing it to people. So, you can’t give up. It’s like in life, at the end of the day. But I heard it was his corner that threw in the towel, so I don’t know what happened clearly, but like I said, for me, you can’t give up at the highest level.”
