UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs. Allen Predictions

UFC Fight Night 262: De Ridder vs. Allen takes place on Sunday (AEDT) at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – and we’ve got our UFC predictions for all the fights below, and you can place your bets with the best betting sites Australia has to offer!

UFC Fight Night 262 Predictions

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Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen Prediction

With four wins in the UFC so far, Reinier de Ridder could have a chance at title contention if he can get beat Brendan Allen, who is coming off a victory over Marvin Vettori.

The 35-year-old de Ridder entered in the UFC in November of last year with solid credentials as a former two-weight champion in the ONE FC promotion, though some of the shine had been taken off that by the fact he’d actually lost both titles via strikes prior to his Octagon debut. However, RDR has proven he can make an impact at the UFC level with wins over the likes of former champ Robert Whittaker, highly touted prospect Bo Nickal and the ever-present Kevin Holland over the past year. De Ridder is at his best on the mat, where his patient, assured grappling helps him to take control of the action, while submissions now accounts for 13 of his 21 career victories. De Ridder has reasonably reliable wrestling to get the fight to the mat in the first place, and though he’s a bit of an awkward striker, he is willing to get stuck in, and has proven to have good knee strikes that can be damaging and also serve as a distraction to help set up takedown attempts.

The 9th ranked Allen took this fight on a months notice as a replacement for Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez and will be giving up 2″ in height and 4″ in reach to de Ridder in the match-up. Like RDR, striking isn’t Allen’s strongest suit, but he has worked to build respectable fundamentals, has solid kicks and his good cardio and work ethic means he’ll look to press the action on the feet. Allen eagerly seeks out takedown opportunities and has good wrestling to make them stick, enabling him to employ his well-versed grappling, including good back takes, and like his opponent he has amassed plenty of submission wins during his career (14 to be exact). That being said, ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez was able to get the better of him on the mat for the 2nd time in their careers when they fought back in February.

Two fighters with relatively similar skill-sets then, and I’d expect a close fight where neither is able to find a finish, but de Ridder proves to be the bigger, stronger fighter in the grappling exchanges and lands the more significant blows on the feet to earn a decision victory.

Reinier de Ridder to win by decision

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Kevin Holland vs. Mike Malott Prediction

Kevin Holland’s busy 2025 schedule last saw him suffering a decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez in July and now he’s back again to fight Mike Malott, who is coming off back-to-back wins.

Holland has always been an active fighter, but the 32-year-old has really been on a mission lately as this will be his 5th fight of the calendar year so far with a couple of months still to spare, going 2-2 so far. Both of his wins came at 170lbs where his next fight also takes place, and it’s a division where his size advantage is most pronounced, giving him an extra 2″ height and large 8″ reach over Malott here. That is something Holland will certainly make use of with long, straight punches down the pipe backed up by kicks, but he’ll also shorten up those long levers at closer quarters to threaten with knees and elbows too. Holland’s defensive wrestling and get-ups has always been an achilles heel, but he is capable of landing takedowns of his own. And significantly, while early in his UFC run he had a good number of finishes by strikes up at 185lbs, in recent years it’s actually his solid offensive grappling that’s been his best finishing weapon. In fact, four of his last six wins have been by submission, though he has been finished himself by that a few times over the years.

The 33-year-old Malott is a respectable all-rounder who could perhaps have made it to the UFC earlier in his career if he hadn’t opted to take a few years out between 2017-2020, during which time he served as a coach for Team Alpha Male. he’s done well since returning though, fighting his way into the UFC, where he’s gone 5-1 so far. Malott is a steady striker with solid power in his hands, and blends that with decent wrestling and a capable submission threat that’s already earned him a couple of wins in the UFC. All but one of Malott’s 12 career wins have come inside the distance, but on the other hand, his sole loss in the UFC came after running out of gas in the third round against Neil Magny last year.

This is an interesting fight that could go either way. I’d say Malott is the more composed fighter and is less prone to poor decision-making, but Holland has a distinct size advantage, is quicker and more durable on the feet and his submission threat shouldn’t be underestimated. So I’ll take Holland to win at least a couple of rounds with his striking from range to earn a decision win.

Mike Malott to win by decision

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Marlon Vera vs. Aiemann Zahabi Prediction

Marlon Vera is coming off three losses in his last four fights, including an unsuccessful attempt to win the 135lb title last year. Next up he’ll lock horns with Aiemann Zahabi, who extended his UFC winning streak to six fights after a win over Jose Aldo earlier in the year.

The 32-year-old Vera’s recent record can at least be partially explained by the quality of opposition he’s been facing, with his losses coming against Cory Sandhagen, Sean O’Malley and Deiveson Figueiredo. The always tough Vera fought each of them to the final bell, maintaining his record of having never been finished in his career, despite being too hittable at times. Vera is typically a slow starter who builds up a head of steam as the fight goes on, but it’s now been a few years since we’ve last seen him really manage to demonstrate his fight-ending ferocity in the later rounds, as he did against the likes of Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz in 2020 and 2021, who were both stopped by head kicks. Vera’s kicking ability also saw him stop O’Malley after crippling him with calf kicks in their original fight back in 2020, while his punches are solid too. However, In recent fights there’s been times where it feels like he’s struggled to shift up the gears like he used to, despite also having solid takedown defense and being a threat via submissions when the fight hits the mat.

There was always going to be some interest in Zahabi when he first arrived in the UFC back in 2017 due to being the brother of esteemed coach Firas Zahabi, who is of course best known for overseeing GSP’s career. However, while Zahabi won his debut, he then suffered back-to-back defeats, followed by taking a couple of years out. When he finally returned he started slowly but surely piecing together a winning streak, showing better cardio management and patience with his technical counter-striking game, while also being able to wrestle and grapple when required. Zahabi’s habit of fighting infrequently hasn’t meant time is catching up to him as he’s now approaching his 38th birthday in a months time. Recent wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz and Aldo have shown he’s a fighter who shouldn’t be underestimated though, and last time out he proved he can bounce back from adversity in his biggest fight to date.

Vera has always relied on big moments of offense in the later rounds to secure his biggest wins, which was always a bit of a gamble and even more-so now that he’s not pulling the trigger the way he used to. As such, I think Zahabi’s more consistent striking from round-to-round and better defense will enable him to come out on top here on the scorecards.

Aiemann Zahabi to win by decision

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Manon Fiorot vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius Prediction

Manon Fiorot’s seven-fight unbeaten run in the UFC came to an end during an unsuccessful attempt to win the flyweight title from Valentina Shevchenko in May. Now she returns to action against Jasmine Jasudavicius, who is on a five-fight winning streak.

Fiorot came up short against Shevchenko on the scorecards last time out, but it was a competitive enough fight that hasn’t damaged her stock too much. The 35-year-old Fiorot continues to be a physically imposing fighter in the division who makes sure her opponents feels that with impactful boxing fundamentals, solid kicks and has proven she has the mental toughness to battle through moments of adversity when required to maintain her record of never having been finished in a fight. Fiorot also has solid takedown defense and can take care of herself on the mat when required. Earlier in her career Fiorot was known as a finisher, including TKO wins in her first two UFC fights, but while she still has the potential for that, her last six fights have gone to the scorecards. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though as it’s a sign of her managing to find a decent balance between her power and cardio that’s enabled her to fight five competitive rounds in her last two appearances.

The 36-year-old Jasudavicius took a while to fully find her stride in the UFC after joining from the Contender Series in 2021, going 3-2 in her first five appearances. From the start of 2024 she’s gone unbeaten though, besting the likes of Jessica Andrade, Mayra Bueno Silva and Ariane da Silva along the way. It’s only during this recent run that Jasudavicius has managed to turn her BJJ ability into a finishing weapon of choice, with three of her four submission wins coming in the past two years, leading to her being awarded her black belt after a rear-naked choke stoppage of Andrade last time out. Meanwhile, on the feet she matches up well with Fiorot physically, being the same height and with a 3″ reach advantage. That being said, she’s not as physically ripped or strong as the former title challenger and lacks her stopping power, with only two TKO wins on her record from much earlier her career. She has improved her striking technique over time though and is good in the clinch.

This seems like a well-matched fight, but I feel Fiorot will prove to have the edge in the striking department and the overall physical battle to emerge with a competitive decision victory.

Manon Fiorot to win by decision

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Cody Gibson vs. Aori Qileng Prediction

Cody Gibson came into 2025 off back-to-back wins, but has since suffered a submission loss and now prepares to fight Aori Qileng, who will be making his first appearance of the year after a defeat and a no-contest last year.

The 38-year-old Gibson is currently in his 2nd stint with the promotion, having first posted a 1-4 record over a decade ago, before eventually fighting his way back in 2023 via reaching the TUF 32 final. He’s done slightly better in the Octagon this time around, albeit he’s still only gone 2-3 so far. Gibson is a fighter who likes to make up for his lack of speed on the feet by applying pressure as often as possible and is more than willing to trade blows toe-to-toe with his opponents, while he also has solid wrestling too. Despite taking risks, Gibson has never been stopped by strikes in his career, but while he can be a threat via submissions, he has also now been finished five times himself via subs.

The 32-year-old Qileng has compiled a patchy 3-4 (+1nc) record in the UFC over the past four years, but nevertheless gets a chance to fight on a main card for the first time here. Qileng is a striker with respectable power and good cardio who can look for counter punches and has solid kicks and clinch-work, but is less convincing on the mat.

Both fighters have the potential to emerge victorious here, but while Gibson’s habit of throwing caution to the wind at times on the feet could run him into trouble, I think he could find success mixing in some takedowns to emerge with the decision win.

Cody Gibson to win by decision

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Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola Prediction

Kyle Nelson was TKO’d in his last fight just over a year ago and now goes up against Matt Frevola, who is coming off back-to-back defeats.

Despite his last loss, the 34-year-old Nelson had actually been enjoying his best spell in the UFC before that, having won three fights in a row, though his overall record in the Octagon is still only 4-5-1. Nelson is a lanky fighter who likes to be the bully in his fights by pressing forward with a mix of boxing and wrestling. Nelson isn’t the fastest, but has respectable power, as shown with his 1st round TKO finish against Bill Algeo last year. However, he’s also hittable in return and doesn’t have the strongest chin for that style, having now been stopped three times via strikes during his time in the UFC, while his gas tank is also not the deepest.

It was only a few years ago that Frevola was living up to his ‘Steamrolla’ nickname by winning three fights in a row inside the first round via strikes, including becoming the first person to TKO Drew Dober in the UFC. However, things have taken a troubling turn for the 35-year-old since then as both Benoit Saint Denis and Faris Ziam have KO’d him. That makes four knockout losses in total for him in the Octagon over the years, which is a real problem for a fighter who loves to be aggressive and let his hands fly, while not looking after his chin. A saving grace for Frevola’s career could be that he has shown off his wrestling chops in the past, and he’d be wise to re-focus on that now.

It’s concerning that Frevola’s chin appears to be deserting him, but Nelson’s isn’t the best either, and given that neither is defensively sound it means either could end up being finished here. I think Frevola is more dangerous offensively and has the better wrestling too though if he’s willing to use it, but I’ll take him to be the one to land a big finishing blow on the feet during some wild first round exchanges.

Matt Frevola to win by KO in Rd1`

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UFC Fight Night 262 Prelims

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(Predicted winners in bold)

Charles Jourdain vs. Davey Grant
Bruno Gustavo da Silva vs. Park Hyun-sung
Danny Barlow vs. Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos
Kyle Prepolec vs. Drew Dober
Stephanie Luciano vs. Ravena Oliveira
Azamat Bekoev vs. Yousri Belgaroui
Melissa Croden vs. Tainara Lisboa

MMA Writer

Ross Cole

Ross Cole is one of the most prolific mixed martial arts writers in the world.

Having written more than 22,000 MMA news stories for MMA Insight, which he founded in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts.

Few people know the UFC and the sport of MMA like Ross, and he has built a solid reputation for being one of the best MMA tipsters in the world.

You can read more of Ross's work at MMAInsight.com.