Brendan Allen believes he’s closing in on a title shot, and depending on how things go in his next fight, he might just get one.
Scheduled to fight long-time contender Marvin Vettori, Allen is confident a win can get him a chance to fight for the UFC middleweight belt or, at worst, another fight to then determine the next challenger. Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Vettori (19-6-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) are set to headline a UFC Fight Night on April 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Arguably Allen’s biggest test to date, he believes there’s a lot on the line.
“I feel it’s based on my performance. I think if I go out there and finish him and make it look easy, I think I drop my name in the hat for a title shot,” Allen told MMA Junkie Radio. “But worst case scenario, a true No. 1 contender fight is after that. I really think it just comes down to me. It’s really up to me.
“I think overall, I think this is my fight to lose. I think I’m better in every single place the fight can go. The guy is definitely tough. He can sure take a beating, but I’ve shown I can give one. I really don’t put any emphasis on any of it. I just need to go out there and be me and see where the cards fall.”
Allen is riding an impressive six-fight winning streak since a December 2021 loss to Chris Curtis. In his most recent outing back in November, he submitted Paul Craig.
Allen would’ve liked to see Sean Strickland remain UFC middleweight champion, as he would much rather fight him than Dricus Du Plessis. However, in the end, Allen is just focused on getting a shot at the belt, not who’s holding it at the time.
“I was hoping it would be Sean to run that back, but I don’t mind it being (Dricus) either,” Allen explained. “I’ve been wanting to fight him since he got to the UFC, and he’s been steady flying by and taking the easy fights. It is what it is. He got the belt off it, but did he earn it? Is it his belt? To each their own. But no, it does not matter who’s champ when it’s my turn.”
