Three wins down, title chase: Brendan Allen’s next test is Christian Leroy Duncan
Brendan Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan (Image: UFC) Brendan Allen wanted to fight higher up the UFC middleweight ranks. Instead, he will pit his own against Christian Leroy Duncan, a rising contender who has won five straight fights.Allen, ranked fourth in the division, has won his last three fights, most recently defeating Edmen Shahbazyan by unanimous decision on June 6. Ranked 10th, Duncan is heading into his first UFC main event following straight wins over Roman Dolidz and former title challenger Jared Cannonier.For Allen, this fight is another chance to maintain his footing in a division where he believes he should be facing opponents above him. It also comes as he continues to eye a possible bout with former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.Allen claimed the fight with Du Plessis was effectively agreed earlier this year before it fell through. He was left looking for another opponent and eventually took on Shahbazyan. Meanwhile, Du Plessis took on Kamaru Usman and won by unanimous decision.Asked if he still believed Du Plessis had avoided the fight, Allen didn’t hold back.“Yeah, I 100% believe they avoided that fight. I think Dricus was avoiding me,” he said.“I understand the name value of the guy he fought (Kamaru Usman), but for the level of competition like where we are today, I think it was a lot different. I know I’m fighting a lot harder than Usman, especially with all the circumstances, age and coming up the weight class. I know it in my heart. He knows it in his heart. He took the easier fight,” Allen.com told the Tech Word News.That remains a match Allen wants, but he wasn’t willing to wait forever for it to happen. His approach has been to keep fighting, even if the opponent on offer doesn’t necessarily move him up the rankings.“I’m not saying this fight is right for me. It’s the only fight available and I want to stay active and make money as long as I can,” he said of Duncan.“So I think fighting is the right fight, but it didn’t happen and I can’t sit around and think about it or complain. I’ve got to go out there and do my best, try to get the W and then fight.”Allen said the uncertainty surrounding the division is only a small part of why he wants to stay active. He also wants to keep improving and making money while he can.“Not trusting the division to move is definitely one reason, but it’s very minimal. I don’t want to just sit around. I want to make money. I spend money like crazy, so I have to manage. I have to work hard and just stay active. It also helps my body stay healthy and keeps me growing, keeps me in what I need to fight. And yeah, I just want to stay active.”
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The division has no shortage of contenders who have stood up for themselves. Sean Strickland holds the title, while Khamzat Chimaev, Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov are among the names ahead of Allen in the middleweight rankings.That leaves room for Allen to break even after three consecutive wins. Duncan’s rise adds another complication. A win over the fourth-ranked fighter would be the biggest result of his UFC career and could propel him into fights against the division’s top names.Allen, meanwhile, knows that another win doesn’t automatically guarantee a title shot. He was honest when asked when a fighter should stop taking fights and start demanding a belt shot.“Winning fights is always the biggest thing, but I don’t think you ask for a damn thing in this company. You go out there and you earn it, and no matter if you keep fighting and winning, you never ask for anything. You’re just going to push it, keep trying, and when you deserve it, you can sit back and wait if you want.”He doesn’t believe he’s reached that point yet.“So I haven’t earned mine yet with the state of the division and how it’s been going and who’s been available. But hopefully this one or one more I can say I’ve owned and I can sit back and wait.”For Allen, defeating Duncan could strengthen his case for a fight against someone higher in the rankings. He also has a concrete idea of what would put him in a stronger position in a fight for the belt.“If I beat Duncan on Saturday, I think I’ll either fight Dricus if he stops avoiding me, or I’ll sit back and wait for the belt. But I think Dricus is more realistic. If I beat Leroy and then I go and beat Dricus, then I can sit and wait because then there’s no one to take the title in front of me.”
Focus on yourself
Recent camps took Allen to Chicago, where he worked with Mike Valle and Belal Muhammad. He said the main benefit was the attention he received during preparation and the ability to focus on his own development.“The environment was good, but at the end of the day it was just individual attention and just focusing on myself during my camps, how can I get better and prepare for the guy I’m fighting instead of being in a big room and having so many eyes on me everywhere.”The knee problem he talked about after the victory over Shahbazyan was also addressed. Allen said the rehab has gone well and that it hasn’t affected his preparation for Duncan.“The knee is good. Nothing has affected my knee. I’ve been rehabbing a lot and it’s good to go.”With training camps and travel comes time away from family. Allen said managing that side of his career became more difficult than the physical demands of the fight.“Definitely managing everything around camp and my family and being away from them and not seeing them as much and traveling to camps for this and that — and that’s a million percent harder scenario. That’s definitely the harder thing.”Allen’s immediate focus is on Duncan, not the fight he thinks should take place earlier this year. But the bigger goal remains the same: to win, stay active and put himself in a position where the next challenge can be closer to a UFC middleweight title fight.