Brendan Allen says he and friend Khamzat Chimaev have agreed not to fight each other “unless it’s for gold.” Allen explained the agreement on MMA Junkie Radio.
Allen said a championship fight would change his life and his family’s life, and that nothing would hold him back if the belt were on the line.
Both fighters are on the RAF 14 card in Las Vegas on Friday, October 23. Chimaev meets Robbie Lawler in the co-main event, and Allen makes his RAF debut in a wrestling match against Alexander Shlemenko after replacing Michael Page.
The friendship is recent. Allen joined Chimaev’s camp as a training partner ahead of UFC 328 in May, after campaigning for a fight with him and talking trash about the then-champion. Allen said he cleared the air with Chimaev and his team before arriving, and the two have been friendly since.
Chimaev lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 328 on May 9, his first professional loss. He is ranked above Allen, who is on a four-fight winning streak after submitting Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 122 and then backing Strickland’s push for better pay. Strickland’s next title defense is still unsettled amid a dispute over his UFC pay.