Whether or not you thought UFC Vegas 118 was memorable, no one can say it didn’t leave a hit, thanks to multiple first-round finishes throughout the night, as well as Gabriel Bonfim’s major victory over former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
But seemingly lost in the shuffle was Brendan Allen, who defeated Edmen Shahbazyan in the evening’s co-main event. The two traded throughout the opening two rounds, and while Allen had a strong start, Shahbazyan was landing the better shots by the end of the first five minutes. But then, Allen’s power picked up, picking “The Golden Boy” apart en route to a clear decision victory.
It wasn’t that Allen’s performance was bad or unremarkable – it’s that it’s weird that Allen was in this position in the first place. Allen entered UFC Vegas 118 ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. And while Shahbazyan entered this fight on a three-fight win streak, he’s far removed from his days as a top prospect in 2019, and several people will say he shouldn’t be sniffing the rankings at this point.
Back in October, Allen took a spot in the main event of UFC Vancouver on short notice, filling in for an injured Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez against Reinier de Ridder. While many expected RDR to defeat Allen and go on to a middleweight title shot, Allen was game on that night. The former ONE champion scored a takedown in the first round of their matchup, but Allen saw through the energy tank of RDR, getting on top in the second round and wearing him down until de Ridder quit on his stool.
That’s the kind of performance that should have put Allen in talks for a title shot – especially given how de Ridder vs. Hernandez was supposed to be a title eliminator and how Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho in another eliminator the previous month ended up being a stinker.
Instead, the UFC waited for Hernandez to be healthy; he then lost to Sean Strickland, which led to the UFC 328 bout last month where Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev to win the title. It was a classic, don’t get this writer wrong; it just feels weird that Allen can go from beating a guy who was toward title contention on short notice, win that fight, then get booked against an unranked fighter just over seven months later.
Some people don’t like Allen’s style and the pace of his fights. Some don’t like him for low fight IQ moments and the way he talks during promos and interviews. But as a top-five-ranked fighter, he deserves respect in terms of how he’s seen compared to the rest of the weight class. And let’s be real: losses to Hernandez, Imavov, Strickland, and Chris Curtis are not terrible by any means.
Even if you don’t want to advocate for Brendan Allen to get the next middleweight title shot, he does deserve another major opportunity after what he’s done in the two outings he’s had over the last seven months or so.
Now, what comes next does depend on answers we don’t have with the division yet: Is Chimaev truly moving up to light heavyweight? If not, are we getting a Strickland vs. Chimaev rematch? If he is, and then Dricus Du Plessis wins a rumored matchup between him and Kamaru Usman, are we getting a trilogy bout between Strickland and Du Plessis – the former champion who has beaten Strickland twice?
You just can’t keep someone like Allen on the sidelines. If he earns a title shot next off these two wins, cool. If not, he at least deserves a title eliminator against someone. Have him rematch Imavov if Imavov’s not getting the shot. If he is, give Allen the DDP vs. Usman winner. Alternatively, have Allen try to gain revenge in a rematch with Hernandez or match up with Caio Borralho.
Allen has done the UFC a favor while taking a major opportunity in the process, and now he’s taken a big risk and proved himself worthy of a spot in the upper echelon of the middleweight contender rankings. Now, let’s give him another opportunity to push his status further.
