Recap Brendan Allen’s Six-Fight Win Streak

Brendan Allen reacts after his victory over Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Revisit The Six-Fight Win Streak That Has Put UFC Middleweight Contender Brendan Allen On The Brink Of Title Contention

By Gavin Porter, On X @ItsGavinPorter • Apr. 3, 2024

At the end of 2021, Brendan Allen took a risk. The Louisiana native watched fights with Brad Tavares and Roman Dolidze fall through, so he accepted a short notice bout against Chris Curtis.

“All In” lost that bout by knockout, giving him his second loss since joining the UFC in 2019. It was a turning point for the middleweight contender, as he didn’t waste time getting back on the horse and getting back to his winning ways.

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The 28-year-old has put together a six-fight winning streak since that loss to Curtis, finishing five of his six opponents en route to the No. 6 ranking in the middleweight division. Allen was scheduled to face former title challenger Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC Fight Night at the UFC APEX on April 6, but Vettori pulled out of the fight due to injury. Guess who the UFC selected to replace Vettori? You guessed it, Allen will now fight Curtis for a second time to try and get one back and extend his streak to seven in a row.

Before Allen and Curtis run it back, look at each of the wins that have helped Allen climb up the rankings at 185 pounds.

Brendan Allen vs Sam Alvey

February 5, 2022

Brendan Allen vs Sam Alvey

Two short months after the fight with Curtis, Allen stepped in on less than a week’s notice for a light heavyweight bout with veteran Sam Alvey.

Allen used his striking to gain the upper hand on Alvey, connecting with a flash knockdown at the end of the first frame. He kept his foot on the gas to start the second round, dropping Alvey then following him to the canvas to sink in the rear naked choke.

Brendan Allen vs Jacob Malkoun

June 12, 2022

Brendan Allen vs Jacob Malkoun

Allen knew he was in for a tough fight when he collided with Jacob Malkoun at UFC 275 in Singapore.

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He started out aggressively on the feet and was having success until Malkoun implemented his grappling game to stifle Allen’s standup and the two exchanged some moments of control. Malkoun had a great second round, utilizing his jab and controlling Allen for much of the round. But the third and final round belonged to Allen. He scrambled to top position, and the visual of ending the fight with a decent chunk of control time likely earned him the close, but unanimous, decision victory.

Brendan Allen vs Krzysztof Jotko

October 1, 2022

Brendan Allen vs Krzysztof Jotko

It’s always been evident that Allen has all the tools to be a clear contender at middleweight, but in his fight with Krzysztof Jotko he proved that his ground game might be what opponents need to keep their eye on.

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Allen reversed position from his back and dragged Jotko to the floor. He worked for hand position before finding Jotko’s chin and securing the rear naked choke at the end of the first round. A very clean performance from Allen, which earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.

Brendan Allen vs André Muniz

February 25, 2023

Brendan Allen vs André Muniz

Sometimes it feels like UFC matchmakers have a funny way of doing things. “Oh, so you just had a super good performance that you ended with a submission, well we are going to give you a feared submission specialist next to see what you can do.”

That’s what it felt like when UFC announced Allen versus submission ace André Muniz. In the lead-up to the fight, Allen was confident that he was going to have his way with Muniz in the grappling department, and he wasn’t afraid of his submission threats.

For most of the first round and the beginning of the second, the two exchanged on the feet, with each having some good success until Allen reversed a takedown attempt from Muniz. He landed some nice ground-and-pound and ended the round looking like the momentum was going his way.

Late in the third, Allen caught a kick from Muniz and took the Brazilian to the ground. He maneuvered into mount and found Muniz’s back and chin for another win by rear naked choke. It was a great win for Allen, putting him into the rankings and showing that he’s made real additions to his game.

Brendan Allen vs Bruno Silva

June 24, 2023

Brendan Allen vs Bruno Silva

Further proof that Allen’s game has leveled up came against knockout artist Bruno Silva in Jacksonville.

Allen stood toe-to-toe with Silva, finding success in the clinch and hurting the Brazilian banger along the fence. Silva caught Allen with a power punch that clearly stunned Allen, creating a moment of chaos where the two decided to fling wild punches. Allen’s chin held up and he put Silva down with one of his better strikes. Allen jumped on Silva, took his back, and locked in the rear naked choke.

Three consecutive rear naked choke wins and, more importantly, this time, he prevented a short notice bout with a knockout artist from derailing his rise up the ranks.

Brendan Allen vs Paul Craig

November 18, 2023

Brendan Allen Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig

Allen was at his best in this main event, where he welcomed longtime light heavyweight contender and fearsome submission specialist Paul Craig to the 185-pound elite.

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From start to finish it was all Allen. He used his advantage in the striking department to continuously damage Craig, while controlling the grappling exchanges for much of the first two rounds. In the third round, he hurt Craig on the feet and pounced, quickly sinking in another rear naked choke. For those counting, that made it four rear naked choke victories in a row for Allen.