UFC Fight Night October 18 2025 preview: Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen in Vancouver — full card, start times, how to watch, and keys to victory

The UFC Fight Night October 18 2025 preview centers on a compelling middleweight headliner: former two-division champion Reinier de Ridder meets surging contender Brendan Allen over five rounds at Rogers Arena, Vancouver. A crowd-friendly main card backs them up with Kevin Holland vs Mike Malott, Marlon Vera vs Aiemann Zahabi, and elite flyweight action featuring Manon Fiorot vs Jasmine Jasudavicius.

Fact box (Who / What / Where / When)

• Event: UFC Fight Night — de Ridder vs Allen (Vancouver) 
• Date / Venue: Saturday, October 18, 2025 — Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
• U.S. start times (ET): Prelims 4:00 p.m. ET, Main Card 7:00 p.m. ET — streaming on ESPN+
• Local (PT): Prelims 1:00 p.m. PT, Main Card 4:00 p.m. PT
• Main event: Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen, 5×5:00 at middleweight
• Note: Card and bout order may change during fight week.

Main Event — de Ridder vs Allen (middleweight, 5 rounds)

Why this matters now
Reinier de Ridder arrives with a résumé built on clinical positional grappling and opportunistic finishes; Brendan Allen is one of the UFC’s most improved closers at 185, on a run defined by ride-time control and back-taking. The winner positions himself for either a title-shot conversation or a top-three eliminator in early 2026. Any UFC Fight Night October 18 2025 preview should underline that both men occupy the sweet spot where rankings, activity, and recent form converge.

Tale of the tape & metrics

• de Ridder (approx. 6’4″, 78″ reach, southpaw): measured output on the feet, heavy top pressure, arm-triangle specialist, strong mat returns. 
• Allen (approx. 6’2″, 75″ reach, orthodox): improved boxing volume, fence rides, backpacking to the short choke, scrambles well for second efforts.
  Both are dangerous in front-headlock sequences; both are comfortable in clinch exchanges against the fence.

Keys to victory (style-based, actionable)

• de Ridder: Win first contact and keep chest-to-chest—mat returns over wild doubles. From half-guard, hunt near-side arm triangles and force Allen to defend wrists before he can hip-heist. Prioritize cage climbs to prevent Allen’s back-takes in transitions. 
• Allen: Force clinch re-sets rather than conceding static bottom. Elbow on separation, punch into re-shots. Best win condition is backpacking—seatbelt → hook → flatten—and using short-choke threats to open bigger rear-naked entries.
• X-factors: Allen’s combinations can either create the reactive shot de Ridder wants or break RDR’s stance before he level-changes; RDR’s top pressure can sap Allen’s pop if long fence sequences accumulate.

Co-main & featured fights (what to watch)

Kevin Holland vs Mike Malott — Welterweight

Holland’s rangy countering and opportunistic subs meet Malott’s compact boxing and finishing instinct. Expect long-guard reads, calf-kick tit-for-tat early, and range battles that decide who gets to dictate tempo. If Malott corners effectively, he can turn Holland’s exits into check hooks; if Holland finds jab-feint rhythms, he’ll force Malott to overcommit.

Marlon Vera vs Aiemann Zahabi — Bantamweight

“Chito” brings attritional kicks, stance switches, and late-round menace; Zahabi offers measured shot selection and disciplined defense. Vera’s leg-kick diet can reshape the bout over minutes, but Zahabi’s counters punish lazy entries. A narrow swing round is likely.

Manon Fiorot vs Jasmine Jasudavicius — Women’s Flyweight

Fiorot’s footwork and side-kicks vs Jasudavicius’ clinch-and-wrestling pressure. If Jasmine corrals the octagon and stacks rides along the fence, she can bank control time; otherwise, Fiorot’s exits and long weapons bank optics from range.

Cody Gibson vs Aoriqileng — Bantamweight

Frenetic exchanges incoming. Gibson’s length and front-chokes vs Aori’s pocket combinations make for a high-event three-round pace—one scramble can flip the fight. Keep your eyes open, as this one might qualify for a performance of the night bonus.

Kyle Nelson vs Matt Frevola — Lightweight

A chaos-magnet matchup: Frevola’s blitzes against Nelson’s counters. The first clean momentum swing might decide it; both men can be hit early.

Full card (as listed now)

Main Card (ESPN+)

• Middleweight (Main Event): Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen  
• Welterweight: Kevin Holland vs Mike Malott
• Bantamweight: Marlon Vera vs Aiemann Zahabi
• Women’s Flyweight: Manon Fiorot vs Jasmine Jasudavicius
• Bantamweight: Cody Gibson vs Aoriqileng
• Lightweight: Kyle Nelson vs Matt Frevola

Prelims (ESPN+)

• Bantamweight: Charles Jourdain vs Davey Grant  
• Flyweight: Bruno Silva vs HyunSung Park
• Middleweight: Danny Barlow vs Djorden Santos
• Lightweight: Kyle Prepolec vs Drew Dober
• Women’s Strawweight: Stephanie Luciano vs Ravena Oliveira
• Middleweight: Azamat Bekoev vs Yousri Belgaroui
• Women’s Bantamweight: Melissa Croden vs Tainara Lisboa

(Bout order can shift; always reconfirm during fight week.)

Start times & how to watch

• United States (ET): Prelims 4:00 p.m., Main Card 7:00 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. 
• Pacific Time (Vancouver local): Prelims 1:00 p.m., Main Card 4:00 p.m.
• Estonia (EEST): Prelims ~23:00 Saturday, Main Card ~02:00 Sunday (ET → EEST conversion).

For other regions (UK/IE, LATAM, AUS/NZ), check your local broadcaster’s listings during fight week; platform splits can vary.

Odds snapshot (not betting advice)

Current market signals paint de Ridder as a slight to moderate favorite over Allen, Holland–Malott as near coin-flip, and Fiorot favored over Jasudavicius. Expect lines to react to weigh-ins, late pullouts, or notable camp news.

Stylistic storylines the broadcast will harp on

• Clinch chess: Both RDR and Allen score on clinch breaks—watch elbows and knees on exits. 
• Back-take battles: Positional wins may outweigh strike totals; one backpack can swing a round.
• Canadian surge: Malott, Jasudavicius, Nelson, Prepolec, and Croden bring national-crowd momentum.
• Flyweight framing: Fiorot is repeatedly framed as title-orbiting; a clean win keeps 125 hot heading into 2026.

Frequently asked questions — UFC Fight Night October 18 2025 preview

Where is UFC Fight Night October 18 2025?
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

What time does the main card start?
7:00 p.m. ET in the U.S.; 4:00 p.m. PT local; roughly 02:00 EEST in Estonia.

What’s the main event?
Reinier de Ridder vs Brendan Allen, scheduled for five rounds at middleweight.

How can I watch?
In the U.S., both prelims and main card stream on ESPN+.

Is the card final?
Fight-week changes happen; check official listings on weigh-in day.

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