Allen won Ridder's Reinier in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
protagonist of UFC Vancouver which took place last Saturday (18), Ridder's Reinier ended up losing a four-game winning streak when facing Brendan allen. A big favorite among bookmakers, the Dutchman, however, ended up negatively surprising many fans by showing great fatigue in the penultimate round of the fight, a fact that resulted in the end of the fight, giving the North American a technical knockout victory.
Although many thought the fighter had given up on the fight, Harun Ozkan, Reinier's coach, spoke out on social media and took full responsibility, guaranteeing that the decision to throw in the towel came from himself and not his pupil.
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"Last night didn't go as planned. After a strong start in the first round, things quickly deteriorated, and we couldn't recover from the blows we suffered in the second round and beyond. I decided to stop the fight after the fourth round. I take full responsibility for that decision, and it was the right one to make at the time. It's not a decision I ever wanted to make, but I think sometimes it's necessary.
"My job is to train, but also to take care of my fighter's health. I've been with Reinier practically since the beginning of his career and saw many signs that led me to intervene. If I hadn't done anything, he would have continued the fight. Rather than risk unnecessary damage, I decided to call it a day and return home as healthy as possible. Live to fight another day," Harun declared on Combat Brothers' official Instagram account.
Fourth in the middleweight rankings (up to 83,9 kg) until the update that took place this Tuesday (21), de Ridder was expecting to triumph once again and become the next challenger for the title. Although the defeat was by technical knockout, the Dutchman was losing in the judges' scores by four rounds to one.
Read the full statement from coach Reinier de Ridder
"I don't usually share personal matters here, but I feel I owe a little explanation to everyone who has supported us. First of all, thank you for the incredible support we've received. It's been a crazy and hectic year so far.
Last night didn't go as planned. After a strong start in the first round, things quickly deteriorated, and we were unable to recover from the blows we suffered in the second round and beyond. I decided to stop the fight after the fourth round. I take full responsibility for that decision, and it was the right one to make at the time. It's not a decision I ever wanted to make, but I think sometimes it's necessary.
My job is to train, but also to take care of my fighter's health. I've been with Reinier practically since the beginning of his career and saw many signs that led me to intervene. If I hadn't done anything, he would have continued the fight. Rather than risk unnecessary damage, I decided to call it a day and return home as healthy as possible. Live to fight another day.
I don't care at all about pleasing others if it costs someone their health. There's a fine line between "being tough" and taking care of your health. This sport can be brutal. These guys sacrifice so much of their lives inside and outside the octagon—there's no need for excessive damage if it can be avoided. Most people forget that they're human too.
There are no excuses for this loss; we knew what we were aiming for. We're not happy with this performance, but for now, we'll recover first, evaluate a few things, and we'll be back next year. Overall, it was an incredible year, and I'm grateful for all the ups and downs in life.
Proud of you, my Ridder brother. We've come a long way.
Have a great day, everyone, and thanks for your continued support.
With all the love,
(coach) Harun”
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