Round starts, and RDR almost instantly attacks in for the takedown and presses the action to the cage, getting it.
Allen takes some short shots before bursting to turn and take top position, placing RDR in full guard.
Some more elbows follow for Allen, as RDR tease some submission attempts without any holds in place.
RDR starts firing back with short shots from his position.
In Saturday’s matchup with de Ridder, Allen faces a similar problem — except against a much bigger dude.
Allen rushed at RDR, easily picking him up for a slam straight into full guard, which may have gassed him. Their approach to the cage is gradual. Allen occasionally throws a little punch, but mostly it’s positioning. I think my initial RDR assessment was accurate because of how difficult this positional battle is. Despite having a brief opportunity to keep Allen off, RDR was unable to muster much energy. They wind up in side control after rolling into a quick back take for Allen. Bullying of RDR persists. Allen delivers a pair of powerful blows. There is a time limit.
Allen, 10-9. (Allen, 38–37). ).
RDR rushes in for the takedown almost immediately after the round begins, pressing the action to the cage and winning it. Allen’s wearing another Dutch backpack gets him into trouble. Allen takes a few quick shots before lunging to the front and putting RDR in full guard. Allen throws brief punches. Allen rides on top of RDR, who turns to his knees and stomach. He gets started punching. RDR tries his best to prevent damage. They return to being on full guard. Allen now has complete authority. RDR isn’t producing many offensive results. There is blood coming from RDR somewhere. Amazingly, he suddenly latches on a late reverse triangle choke. Although it briefly appeared tight, Allen got away at about the second mark.
Allen, 10-9. (28-28). ).
Despite taking a body kick and running into a punch, Allen continues to press the action. RDR’s guard is struck by a rushing, spinning back fist. RDR tries to take them down, and they tie up for position against the cage. Placing Allen in a corner and encircling the legs with his, he works the trip slowly. Allen releases his back once more, but this time he does not use the body lock. RDR ends up on bottom in full guard after pushing off the cage to gain a better position. Allen throws an elbow and some good punches. As RDR teases some submission attempts without any holds in place, Allen receives a few more elbows. Short shots are fired back by RDR from his position. They change positions, bringing RDR momentarily to his knees before returning to full guard close to the wall. RDR keeps flinging his legs up to get Allen to think. Before the time runs out, nothing happens.
Allen. 10-9. (18) de Ridder. ).
Attacking quickly, RDR waits for the single to time up and engage in a rough-and-ready clinch exchange. They jockey for position before making their way to the cage. Before making a lovely reversal trip from RDR to land directly in mount, Allen controls with a single underhook. RDR appears to be using a loose arm triangle hold while squeezing. RDR begins using punches to tenderize the body. Allen gives up his back and turns around. He doesn’t want to be there at all, especially at this moment. As they roll to place him on his back, RDR locks on the body triangle in preparation for the choke. They make a slight change, allowing Allen to take punches. RDR tries to get a choke or crank by attacking a small opening but fails. In order to give Allen a little more battering, he mounts and moves back. Allen simply begins to take a lot of punches with just 20 seconds remaining. Before the allotted time has passed, RDR unsuccessfully attacks an arm.
De Ridder, 10-8.
Nothing deflates a match more than when a man who has been injured and on a hot streak is replaced by someone he defeated. This will be Allen’s third main event appearance in the UFC.
The excitement surrounding “All In” grew steadily throughout his remarkable seven-fight winning streak from 2022 to 2024, but it came to an end last year. Although I didn’t fully believe that he was a title threat, he did seem like a man who should be given the chance. But Hernandez, who ultimately defeated Allen in every way in February, had other ideas.
Allen has a similar issue against de Ridder on Saturday, but he’s up against a much bigger man. Long, deadly, and ungainly, “RDR” is a middleweight moose of a man who uses every ounce of his limbs’ potential for destruction, primarily his unrelenting knees, both in close quarters and at distance. All of this is a part of de Ridder’s strategy to weaken opponents until he does a neck squeeze.
De Ridder is difficult to manage from any angle, but he feels most at ease on the ground, where he constantly threatens with submissions. Allen’s willingness to converse with de Ridder will ultimately lead to his downfall because of his own self-confidence in his grappling.
Allen getting submitted is hard to imagine, but de Ridder’s run has been full of surprises and victories. What’s one more? It’s a possible title-shot sealer, yes.
De Ridder is the choice.
The last frame begins with a lot of leg kicks for each. Malott flurryed into the pocket and delivered a couple solid blows. Malott hits their mark with a head and body kick. Holland can’t connect cleanly and is in search mode. He gives Malott’s head a nasty right straight snap back just as I say that. He has bloodied Malott with his jabs. After that, Holland almost grabbed outside the cage as Malott went in for the double-leg and found a big slam. They operate with a half-guard. Malott begins to deliver solid ground and pound blows. Holland answers the phone, rolls away, and they all rush to their feet after becoming entangled in an arm triangle. One of Malott’s big moments. The fight ends when they push against the cage.
10-9 Malott. (Malott 29–28). ).
The glove touch is rejected by Malott, and we start moving. Holland kicks his inside leg early and goes to the well. Back outside, Malott shoots one. Holland pushes with his kicking attack and lands a hard teep. Malott uses a nice hook to graze him. A straight punch from Holland’s kick counter knocks Malott down, and they play in guard for a short while before Holland gets up. He is swept, Malott wins in a flurry, and he begins to strike. For Malott to execute a body lock takedown, they stand. They rush to their feet as Holland reverses. To halt the action, Malott’s prodding teep hits Holland’s cup too low. Holland calls right away to continue. Before they engage in a clinch exchange, he shoots Malott a large straight right. Malott pauses the action again with a big knee that goes low. Holland got down and looked like he was really hurt. However, the replay presented a somewhat different picture. difficult to say. In any case, Holland used all five minutes. Not a single point taken away. (In some way. ().
Aiming for a big shot behind his attack, Malott pokes fun at it. Holland remains dissatisfied with his groin shot and continues to protest in part until the end of the round. Strange happenings out here.
Holland, 10-9.
Holland has had a strange year. He began his campaign by being dog-walked by de Ridder, but he unexpectedly defeated Gunnar Nelson on the rebound. Following an anaconda choke by Vicente Luque and a decision loss by Daniel Rodriguez, he is now assigned to Malott.
Apart from the fact that he talks a lot in the cage, there is no way to predict what the guy will do. He is willing to throw down and can produce slyly wild moments on the ground. After losing to Neil Magny in an embarrassing comeback, Malott has been much more reliable than the other player and has recovered.
The matchup’s more sophisticated, well-rounded welterweight, Malott of Canada, is skilled at finishing wherever the bout goes. That’s not to say Holland can’t do it, because he certainly can. Holland’s only three goal stops in the last five years, though, came against the ghosts of Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
To further delve into the statistics, Holland has begun to lose two games in a row, and he is due for his second straight defeat in this match. Despite their near equal matchup, I believe Malott has a physical advantage and more strength, but more importantly, I appreciate his dependability and consistency when performing over “Trailblazer.”. “,”.
Malott, to start.
