LAS VEGAS -- Brendan Allen is tired of fighting his way up the UFC middleweight rankings only to be rewarded with opponents below him.
Allen has won three straight fights, including a particularly impressive victory over Reinier de Ridder, but he remains on the outside looking in at the division's title picture. On Saturday, he'll headline UFC Fight Night against Christian Leroy Duncan at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. It's another opportunity to strengthen his case, though not the one he wanted.
Allen believes he should be fighting former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. In fact, he insists that was the plan earlier this year before Du Plessis fought former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Usman, 39, survived five rounds with his fellow former champion, but struggled to match his size and physicality. Allen doesn't think Du Plessis deserves much credit for beating a smaller, older man in just his second middleweight appearance. He also doesn't believe the change in opponents was a coincidence.
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"I know he's had the opportunity to fight me, and he took the easier route," Allen told CBS Sports. "He can say whatever he wants. It's a fact. We were supposed to fight, and somehow Kamaru's name got thrown in there. And obviously Kamaru is a bigger draw... He took the easier fight. Plain and simple, he took the easier fight. We all know. Everyone knows it was the easier fight.
"I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster. I think I'm more talented, but people are going to play off of Kamaru's resume. So, OK, play off his resume. But I don't think Kamaru can make it five rounds with me. So, yeah, I think he took the easier fight. I still think he's a bitch."
Allen has spent years trying to break into the middleweight title picture. The only fight that's lasted longer is the one with himself.
For all his confidence in calling out former champions, Allen has struggled with the pressure of fighting opponents he believes he's supposed to beat. He once told Joe Rogan that his 2022 fight with Jacob Malkoun was arguably the worst performance of his career. Allen couldn't sleep the night before, overwhelmed by the expectation that he was the better fighter and had to prove it. He ultimately scraped out a decision victory, winning the third round to secure the result.
It's an uncomfortable position for someone who keeps getting matched against lower-ranked fighters. Allen faced Edmen Shahbazyan in his previous outing and now draws Duncan, a surging contender with considerably more to gain from Saturday's main event.
"I'm supposed to go out there and beat that guy. That's not even other people talking. That's just what I expect from myself every time," Allen said. "I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else can. It's easy to talk shit online. It's easy to talk shit in any capacity, but nobody can say anything I haven't said to myself. I've had the worst self-talk before. I've had some of the best self-talk, but that's very few and far between for me, to be honest.
"I think at this stage I'm just trying to be like my own best friend and handle these situations with more maturity and use that veteran-ness, if that's a word."
Allen has worked extensively with sports psychologists and his coaches to manage those expectations. He hasn't eliminated the anxiety, but he better identifies it and leans on people who understand his experiences.
Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has become an important confidant. Muhammad knows the frustration of being overlooked in the title picture, having spent years fighting for his own opportunity before eventually becoming champion. He's also experienced what happens when things don't go according to plan.
"They definitely come about. I just think I handle them way better now. I communicate my emotions with guys that I care about within my team. Like Belal, he's been at the highest of the highs. He's been the champion. He's been the best guy in the world. He knows those feelings. He knows his emotions. And obviously, he handled them better than I handled them in those situations."
Allen, appropriately bearing the nickname "All In," performs better when the stakes are higher. His victory over De Ridder was among the finest of his UFC career. Allen mauled the highly regarded grappler until his corner stopped the fight between rounds. It was particularly impressive given De Ridder's standing in the division -- he was on the verge of a title shot, and Allen took the fight as a late replacement.
It's a strange problem to have. Allen has proven he can beat some of the middleweight division's best fighters, but the opponents he considers less threatening can bring out his worst tendencies. Duncan, fresh off victories over Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier, will be eager to exploit any of them.
Allen has his own solution. He wants the UFC to stop making him defend his position against rising contenders and give him the former champion he's been chasing. A fight with Du Plessis would offer a chance to move closer to a title shot, with none of the psychological baggage that comes from being expected to win.
"At this point, I just need him to fight me," Allen said.
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