Brendan Allen recently offered his perspective on the reigning middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis.
In a memorable showdown at UFC 297 in January, held in Toronto, Canada, Du Plessis secured the title with a split-decision win over Sean Strickland.
This victory not only marked a historic moment as Du Plessis became the first South African UFC champion but also the inaugural titleholder residing and training in Africa.
However, opinions were divided on whether Du Plessis truly earned the belt.
THE BELT IS GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA 🇿🇦🏆@DricusDuPlessis defeats Sean Strickland by split decision to become the NEW middleweight champion of the world!
[ #UFC297 | B2YB @CryptoCom ] pic.twitter.com/guZVTAiZin
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
Addressing the media during the UFC Vegas 90 media day, Brendan Allen expressed his view on the current champion’s victory over Strickland:
“I think he was given that, I don’t think he took it from the champion. From my eyes, you need to take the belt from the champion.”
Allen also weighed in on the potential of facing Du Plessis in the Octagon:
“As far as stylistically on the matchup, I don’t think he has what everyone else has, a puncher’s chance. He beats me nowhere else.”
Allen’s comments shed light on his skepticism regarding Du Plessis’ victory and his confidence in his own abilities should they meet in competition.
Looking ahead to his upcoming bout at UFC Vegas 90 on April 6, where he’s slated to face Chris Curtis in a middleweight clash at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, Allen shared insights into his preparation and the significance of the matchup.
Originally slated to face Marvin Vettori, Allen now finds himself matched up against Curtis due to Vettori’s withdrawal from the bout citing injury.
This sets the stage for a rematch between Allen and Curtis, following their previous encounter at UFC Vegas 44 in 2021, where Curtis emerged victorious via second-round TKO courtesy of a devastating knee strike to the face.
Reflecting on his journey leading up to the rematch, Brendan Allen highlighted his remarkable six-fight winning streak since his defeat to Chris Curtis in late 2021, with five of those victories sealed by rear-naked choke submissions.
With UFC Vegas 90 looming on the horizon, Allen offered his insights into the impending showdown with Curtis, acknowledging his opponent’s technical prowess in striking and his seasoned experience in the cage:
“I think Chris is a lot more technically capable in the striking realm. He’s been around a long time, fought a lot of good guys, he’s game as they come so I had prepared in a whole different realm mentally.”
As the date for their rematch draws near, Brendan Allen’s remarks provide a looks into his mindset and readiness to once again step into the Octagon against Chris Curtis, aiming to rewrite the narrative and secure a decisive victory in their anticipated showdown.
