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LAS VEGAS – Brendan Allen's upcoming fight at UFC Fight Night 278 left many confused when it was first announced.
The last time Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was seen in the cage, the American had pulled off a big upset win over former ONE Championship champion Reinier de Ridder, who was on a crazy, hot 5-0 winning streak in the UFC. Not only was RDR unbeaten in the UFC and on the cusp of a title shot, but Allen had taken the fight on short notice. Few expected him to win, and yet he did.
With a two-fight winning streak and having saved the UFC card by stepping in on short notice, many expected Allen to get a big name for his next bout, but instead, the No. 4-ranked UFC middleweight ended up drawing an unranked Edmen Shahbazyan (16-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). It's not often we see a top-five fighter compete against someone outside the rankings.
"I asked for it," Allen told MMA Junkie when asked why he's fighting outside the rankings. "He was the next guy that was in line that didn't have a fight. Everyone else had a fight or didn't want to fight me, I guess. He was the next guy, the next guy out of the top that didn't have a fight and was on a win streak, so give him the opportunity and let's see."
Allen's main reason to take this kind of risk was driven by two major factors: a payday and activity.
"I like money, man. I like money," Allen said. "I don't like sitting out. It doesn't do me no good. It just only makes me worse. I'm getting older by the day. If I'm not fighting, I'm not as much or as hard, really not at all, and I need to stay growing. I need to stay improving to stay relevant so I can get to that belt. We're going to go out here and put on a show and see how much we've improved. Let's see how good he really is."
Although Allen is happy to be back in fight mode, he does have some frustration with the rankings and his opponents' availability.
"I've had that problem in the past, focusing on numbers, but this sh*t don't mean nothing," Allen said. "The numbers ain't doing me no good, obviously. So unless it's for gold, it really doesn't mean nothing, at least that's what it feels like."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 118: Brendan Allen explains why he called for Edmen Shahbazyan
Continue reading...
The last time Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) was seen in the cage, the American had pulled off a big upset win over former ONE Championship champion Reinier de Ridder, who was on a crazy, hot 5-0 winning streak in the UFC. Not only was RDR unbeaten in the UFC and on the cusp of a title shot, but Allen had taken the fight on short notice. Few expected him to win, and yet he did.
With a two-fight winning streak and having saved the UFC card by stepping in on short notice, many expected Allen to get a big name for his next bout, but instead, the No. 4-ranked UFC middleweight ended up drawing an unranked Edmen Shahbazyan (16-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). It's not often we see a top-five fighter compete against someone outside the rankings.
"I asked for it," Allen told MMA Junkie when asked why he's fighting outside the rankings. "He was the next guy that was in line that didn't have a fight. Everyone else had a fight or didn't want to fight me, I guess. He was the next guy, the next guy out of the top that didn't have a fight and was on a win streak, so give him the opportunity and let's see."
Allen's main reason to take this kind of risk was driven by two major factors: a payday and activity.
"I like money, man. I like money," Allen said. "I don't like sitting out. It doesn't do me no good. It just only makes me worse. I'm getting older by the day. If I'm not fighting, I'm not as much or as hard, really not at all, and I need to stay growing. I need to stay improving to stay relevant so I can get to that belt. We're going to go out here and put on a show and see how much we've improved. Let's see how good he really is."
Although Allen is happy to be back in fight mode, he does have some frustration with the rankings and his opponents' availability.
"I've had that problem in the past, focusing on numbers, but this sh*t don't mean nothing," Allen said. "The numbers ain't doing me no good, obviously. So unless it's for gold, it really doesn't mean nothing, at least that's what it feels like."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 118: Brendan Allen explains why he called for Edmen Shahbazyan
Continue reading...
