After winning his second UFC main event by stoppage, Brendan Allen wants a No. 1 contender fight next time he steps into the octagon.
At the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) faced Paul Craig (17-7-1 MMA, 9-7-1 UFC) in a key middleweight bout. The winner of the UFC Fight Night 232 headliner would likely move on to face one of the top names in the division, and Allen made sure he would be the one to be able to call his shot after submitting Craig at 0:38 of Round 3.
The fight started at a methodical pace with both fighters looking to find the range. Allen was more active and accurate with his strikes, and then Craig found an entry to initiate a clinch battle. Allen prevented a takedown and hit a toss of his own, transitioning into full mount. Intense scrambles for submission soon followed as Allen had a rear-naked choke, but Craig countered with a calf slicer. A battle to lock up lower limbs resulted in more changes of position, with Allen setting in back on top.
In an early exchange in the second round, both fighters landed hard punches simultaneously. Both were rocked, but Craig was first to shoot in for the takedown. Allen sprawled well and took top position, where he landed solid short elbows that sliced open a cut over Craig’s right eye while racking up a lot of control time.
Allen got right back to top position early in Round 3. This time, Craig would not get back to his feet.
Allen quickly found his way to Craig’s back and locked in a deep rear-naked choke. Craig defended a number of submissions well before, but this one was too deep and he opted to tap before going unconscious.
He made that one look easy 🤷♂️@BrendanAllenMMA puts an end to this #UFCVegas82 main event with another tapout victory! pic.twitter.com/0FhfyEudVh
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2023
With the win, Allen extends his current winning streak to six. The 27-year-old has won both of his UFC main event appearances with third-round stoppages. His first was against Andre Muniz in February at UFC Fight Night 220, which was an impromptu main event spot after Nikita Krylov became ill before facing Ryan Spann in the scheduled headliner.
During his post-fight interview, Allen made his case for a No. 1 contender fight.
“I think I deserve it, I’ve earned it. I’ve beat everyone they put in front of me, I finished them. Whoever the UFC says that is, I don’t care who. (Robert) Whittaker, (Jared) Cannonier, ‘C*mshot,’ I don’t care,” Allen told Paul Felder. “I’m trying to fight, man. I’m the No. 1 contender. I’m the best in the world, I’m here to prove it. If you say otherwise, come show me, don’t tell me.”
There are a few names on the mind of @BrendanAllenMMA after his #UFCVegas82 performance 👀 pic.twitter.com/8oybJK0HeT
— UFC (@ufc) November 19, 2023
Full UFC Fight Night 232 results include:
- Brendan Allen def. Paul Craig via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 0:38
- Michael Morales def. Jake Matthews via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chase Hooper def. Jordan Leavitt via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:58
- Payton Talbott def. Nick Aguirre via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 0:58
- Amanda Ribas def. Luana Pinheiro via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:53
- Myktybek Orolbai def. Uros Medic via submission (neck crank) – Round 2, 4:12
- Joanderson Brito def. Jonathan Pearce via submission (ninja choke) – Round 2, 3:54
- Jose Johnson def. Chad Anheliger via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:49
- Christian Duncan def. Denis Tiuliulin via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:24
- Jeka Saragih def. Lucas Alexander via KO (punches) – Round 1, 1:31
- Ailin Perez def. Lucie Pudilova via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Trey Ogden vs. Nikolas Motta ends in a no contest (referee error) – Round 3, 3:11
- Rafael Estevam def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 232.
