Brendan Allen claims Dricus du Plessis was "given" the middleweight belt, says 'Stillknocks' has only "puncher's chance" against him
Brendan Allen recently shared his thoughts on the current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.
Du Plessis claimed the title from Sean Strickland with a split-decision victory in the main event of UFC 297 in January in Toronto, Canada. He consequently became the first South African UFC champion and also the first titleholder who lives and trains in Africa.
Many, including Allen, thought du Plessis didn't win the fight against Strickland. During the media day for UFC Vegas 90, Allen was asked what he thought of the current champion. He replied:
''I think he was given that, I don't think he took it from the champion. From my eyes, you need to take the belt from the champion.''
Allen also shared his thoughts on a potential matchup against du Plessis:
''As far as stylistically on the matchup, I don't think he has what everyone else has, a puncher's chance. He beats me nowhere else.”
Check out Brendan Allen's comments below:
Allen is set to face Chris Curtis at UFC Vegas 90 in a middleweight bout on April 6. The event will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was originally scheduled to face Marvin Vettori but the Italian fighter withdrew from the bout due to an injury, allowing 'The Action Man' to step in as a short-notice replacement.
It will be a rematch, as the two previously squared off against each other at UFC Vegas 44 in 2021. Curtis won the bout via a second-round TKO following a devastating knee to the face.
Brendan Allen previews his fight against Chris Curtis
Brendan Allen has been on a six-fight winning streak since losing to Chris Curtis in late 2021, propelling him up the middleweight rankings. Five of these wins were achieved through rear-naked choke submissions.
Allen is again set to face Curtis on April 6 at UFC Vegas 90. During the aforementioned interview, 'All In' shared his thoughts on their upcoming fight:
''I think Chris is a lot more technically capable in the striking realm. He's been around a long time, fought a lot of good guys, he's game as they come so I had prepared in a whole different realm mentally.''
Check out Brendan Allen's comments below (1:08):