Brendan Allen has replaced Anthony Hernandez to face Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver.De Ridder and Hernandez were set to lock horns at the top of the UFC Fight Night 262 bill on October 18, with the winner moving one step closer to fighting Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title next.De Ridder now faces Brendan Allen in the main event of UFC Vancouver on October 18GettyThe winner will be in a good position for a UFC middleweight title shot against Khamzat ChimaevGettyThe fight was viewed as one half of a middleweight title eliminator tournament, with UFC Paris’ main event, which witnessed Nassourdine Imavov outpoint Caio Borralho, the other semi-final.Imavov’s unanimous decision win over Borralho made him the frontrunner to face UFC middleweight champion Chimaev next, unless his performance was bettered by either Hernandez or de Ridder.However, Hernandez has now withdrawn from the main event next month, with No. 11-ranked middleweight Allen seizing the opportunity to step in on short notice.The 29-year-old American will count his lucky stars this week as he gears up for the biggest fight of his six-year UFC career.Anthony Hernandez apologises after pulling out of UFC Vancouver with injury“As you’ve all probably seen unfortunately, I’ve had to pull out of my upcoming fight due to injury,” Hernandez wrote on Instagram, before thanking Allen for accepting the fight on short notice.“I want to sincerely apologise to the UFC, to my opponent, de Ridder, and to everyone who was looking forward to this matchup.“I also want to thank Brendan Allen for stepping up; it means a lot. To my fans, thank you for always tuning in, supporting me, and riding with me through everything.“Right now, my focus is on getting healthy so I can come back stronger than ever. When I return, I’ll be ready to make a statement.”De Ridder, 35, was one of the first to respond to Hernandez’s statement.“S*** happens, get well soon!” he replied. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez (@ilovebamf)De Ridder is the No. 4-ranked UFC middleweight and undefeated in Dana White’s promotionGettyAllen defeated Marvin Vettori at UFC 318, but has lost to Hernandez and Imavov via unanimous decision in the last 12 monthsGettyThe former two-weight ONE champion now faces a slightly easier challenge in the eyes of several members of the MMA fraternity.What is de Ridder’s record?‘RDR’ made his UFC debut in November 2024, having tasted gold in two divisions under the ONE banner, while going undefeated in other promotions like Superior FC and UAE Warriors.He boasts a pro MMA record of 21-2 and has notable wins over Robert Whittaker, Bo Nickal, and Kevin Holland in the UFC.Although Allen is stepping in on late notice to face the Dutchman, he will be no pushover for the UFC middleweight title hopeful.Allen, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has eight victories in his last 10 UFC fights, with his last outing coming in the form of a Fight of the Night-winning performance over Marvin Vettori in June.The American did, however, suffer defeats to Hernandez and Imavov in his prior two fights, but will no doubt be looking to prove his worth at the top of the middleweight scene as one half of the new main event at UFC Vancouver.UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs AllenHead-to-headDe RidderPro record: 21-2Nationality: NetherlandsAge: 35Height: 6’4″Reach: 78″Gym: Combat BrothersAllenPro record: 25-7Nationality: United StatesAge: 29Height: 6’2″Reach: 75″Gym: Kill Cliff FCChimaev was crowned the 185lbs king at UFC 319 last month after outpointing Dricus du Plessis.The Russian-Emirati fighter is now widely viewed as one of the UFC’s biggest pound-for-pound stars.However, fellow UFC middleweight Nickal highlighted that the champion still has ‘holes’ in his game.“That’s not to discredit him because he’s great,” Nickal told talkSPORT, detailing how he would prepare to fight Chimaev.“But I think we all have holes in our game. So that’s just what I would think going in, what I would try to exploit.“I really, really doubt he would be able to take me down. I know that my cardio would hold up. I know for a fact he’s not taking me down quickly…“It would be interesting. Everybody saw what happened last fight when you put him against another striking-based guy, it’s probably going to be the same thing, right?“Every striking-based guy he’s fought: DDP, Robert Whittaker, Li Jingliang. All these guys, he takes them down, throws them down, and smashes them. “But the grappling-based guys are a different story, and I would be by far the best grappling-based guy he’s fought if we do match up.”UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs Allen goes down on October 18 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada.