Brendan Allen looked to make a statement that he belongs in the UFC middleweight title picture. And while it wasn’t the easiest fight, he earned another finish by submitting Christian Leroy Duncan in the main event of UFC Vegas 122.
The two battled in close range right away, with CLD looking to land inside and pressing him to the fence. CLD landed about 15 strikes in the clinch, but Allen tripped him up for a takedown about two minutes into the round.
CLD made his way back to his feet, and both men landed right hands on one another. CLD, however, briefly rocked Allen with follow-up shots that included a spinning elbow.
CLD looked to get back to the pressure in round two, but an eye poke on Allen resulted in him losing one point. CLD got back to work with his strikes, including oblique kicks, but Allen scored a takedown later in the round that the British fighter didn’t seem to have an answer for.
Allen looked for an early takedown, only to be countered by CLD. CLD, however, stayed on the ground and looked for a choke, allowing Allen to get back on top, controlling CLD throughout the third. CLD, though appearing tired, burst out with just under 90 seconds left, then stuffed an Allen takedown attempt that followed.
Allen continued to control things in round four, but despite pressure, his momentum slowed. This allowed CLD to get back into the fight with his striking, setting things up for an interesting final round.
But Allen would not be deterred. After a bit of time, Allen was able to get CLD to the fence. There, he scored a takedown and worked his way to the back. He sunk in the choke, and despite CLD’s resistance, Allen was able to earn the fifth-round submission win.
Allen has now won four straight. The top-five middleweight fighter came into this bout off a decision win over Edmen Shahbazyan in the UFC Vegas 118 Fight of the Night in June.
