Brendan Allen appears to have once again reached cruising altitude in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division. The question now becomes whether he stays there or climbs higher.
As Allen makes final preparations for his forthcoming showdown with Muniz, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:
1. A Legacy of Gold
Having failed in two previous attempts to strike promotional gold, Allen made certain the third time was the charm. The Roufusport representative laid claim to the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight championship when he submitted Tim Hiley with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their LFA 50 main event on Sept. 21, 2018 at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Hiley checked out 3:16 into Round 3. An action-packed first 10 minutes in which both men survived near finishes gave way to the decisive middle stanza. Allen pressed forward with punches and standing elbows, executed a powerful takedown and assaulted his counterpart from side control. No matter where Hiley turned, danger lurked. Allen eventually climbed to the back, secured his position with a tight body triangle and cinched the choke for the tapout.
2. Cashing In
Allen met expectations and then some as the reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion when he disposed of Aaron Jeffery with a first-round rear-naked choke during Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series on July 16, 2019 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Jeffery, who entered the cage on a four-fight winning streak, capitulated 3:23 into Round 1. Allen lured the BTC Fight Promotions titleholder into the clinch, floored him with a short-range knee strike and moved into top position before passing to side control. The Duke Roufus protégé then advanced to the back without much resistance, locked in the choke and forced the tap. Afterwards, the UFC signed Allen to a contract and added him to its roster at 185 pounds.
3. Sense of Belonging
“All In” made a strong first impression when he put away Kevin Holland with a second-round rear-naked choke as part of the UFC on ESPN 6 undercard on Oct. 18, 2019 at TD Garden in Boston. Allen closed out his successful organizational debut 3:38 into Round 2. However, he did not escape unscathed. Holland—who filled in for an injured Eric Spicely on short notice—opened a diagonal cut on his left eyebrow, advanced to mount and flirted with a rear-naked choke in the first round. His efforts failed and provided Allen with new life entering the middle stanza. Holland executed a takedown early in Round 2 but wasted the opportunity and wound up in bottom position. Allen settled in half guard, applied his ground-and-pound and briefly climbed to full mount before transitioning to the fight-ending choke.
4. A Bridge Too Far
Former King of the Cage champion Sean Strickland cut down Allen with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 182 catchweight attraction on Nov. 14, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Strickland drew the curtain 92 seconds into Round 2. He tore into Allen with a sharp jab and crisp two-punch combinations, all while mixing in a first-round takedown and a few front kicks to the face. The onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder zeroed in on Strickland’s lower leg with kicks early in Round 2—he appeared to have the Californian in some distress—but paid the price for porous striking defense. “Tarzan” dazed Allen with a chopping right hand, dropped him to his knees with a left hook and followed with unchecked rights to the head that forced referee Herb Dean to intervene.
5. Show of Force
Xtreme Couture’s Chris Curtis wrecked Allen with punches and knees in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 31 middleweight showcase on Dec. 4, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A late replacement for Roman Dolidze, Curtis sealed the deal 1:58 into Round 2. Allen secured an early takedown and jumped on the former CES MMA titleholder’s back, then returned to a standup battle when there were no finishing opportunities to be found. He kept Curtis at bay with stepping knees to the body, rangy combinations and a partially blocked head kick but failed to give him true pause. A leg lock attempt at the end of the first round went nowhere. Early in the second, Curtis followed a left hook to the body with a clubbing right upstairs that set the Kill Cliff Fight Club export on unsteady legs. He then drove Allen to the fence and cut loose with a variety of shots before two final knee strikes slammed the door shut.