Brendan Allen believes a showdown with former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis was close to becoming a reality, but for reasons still unclear, the fight never happened.
Instead, Allen returns to action this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 118, where he takes on unranked middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan in a matchup that surprised many fans.
Following his stoppage victory over Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver last October, a fight between Allen and du Plessis appeared to make perfect sense. Rumors continue to link du Plessis to a clash with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in July, although the UFC has yet to officially announce the bout.
So why didn’t the fight with du Plessis come together?
“Because he’s a b****,” Allen told MMA Fighting. “It was supposed to be a done deal in January. I was told it was a done deal. Me and Dricus were done, and then they said he got hurt and he’s not fighting until July.
“At that time, I was supposed to fight him around April or May. Then they said he got hurt. But he posted training videos the next week, so I don’t know. I kind of think I was a little bit finessed, to be honest with you, and I don’t know by who.”
Allen said he quickly began looking for other options rather than waiting around for du Plessis.
“Then I asked for Usman. I said, ‘Let me fight Usman then. Since he’s hurt and Usman’s ready to go, let me fight him.’ I wanted that fight. It didn’t come to fruition. I asked for a lot of other guys, and those didn’t happen either.
“I got sick of waiting, needed the money, and took the guy who was on a win streak and didn’t have a fight.”
While Shahbazyan may not be ranked, he enters the bout riding a three-fight winning streak. His most recent victory came against Andre Muniz, whom he stopped at UFC 320 last October. The 28-year-old was originally scheduled to face Jun Yong Park earlier this year before Park withdrew due to injury.
For Allen, the matchup wasn’t exactly what he envisioned, especially as a top-five contender.
“F***ing tell me about it,” Allen said. “I’m still young, I’m healthy, and I want to work. I want to get better, and I want to make money. Why would I sit out?
“I’m trying to build my dream at home and create the life I want to live. I don’t want to sit around waiting if I’m not injured.”
Allen revealed that several potential fights fell through before Shahbazyan’s name finally surfaced.
“I was supposed to fight in March, then April, then May. Nobody wanted to fight. I asked for pretty much everyone. Whether they were hurt, didn’t want the fight, or whatever the reason was, nothing happened.
“So the next guy available without a fight was Edmen. It was just the right place and the right time for him.”
Despite the ranking gap between the two fighters, Allen isn’t focused on what a win does for his position in the division. His priority is staying active, earning a paycheck, and reminding the middleweight division exactly who he is.
“If I can’t take him down and do what I plan to do, then I’m going to beat the s*** out of him on the feet,” Allen said. “I come to strike with everybody.
“I’m going to show him. I’m going to beat him at his game, beat him at mine, and beat him everywhere the fight goes.”
Allen expects to push a relentless pace from the opening bell and believes his experience, toughness, and overall skill set will be too much for Shahbazyan to handle.
“I plan to put pressure on him like crazy. I plan to go out there and put a beating on him. I don’t plan to let him gain any confidence in this fight.
“He’s not going to get anything from me. I think I’m tougher, bigger, more experienced, and more skilled.”
Now, Brendan Allen heads into UFC Vegas 118 looking to make a statement. While the fight with du Plessis never materialized, Allen intends to remind the division why he’s still one of the most dangerous contenders in the UFC middleweight rankings.
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