Brendan Allen Record: 27-7-0

Establishing himself in the UFC

Allen announced himself immediately, submitting Kevin Holland by rear-naked choke in October 2019, then opening 2020 with a first-round TKO of Tom Breese and a decision over the unbeaten Kyle Daukaus. A 2020 TKO loss to Sean Strickland was a reality check, but he rebounded with a slick first-round heel hook of Karl Roberson and a decision over Punahele Soriano in 2021. A second setback, a TKO defeat to Chris Curtis, only sharpened his resolve.

Contender's run

From there, Allen put together one of the division's best stretches. He submitted Sam Alvey and outpointed Jacob Malkoun in 2022 before a run of rear-naked-choke finishes over Krzysztof Jotko, André Muniz, Bruno Silva and Paul Craig through 2023, plus a five-round decision avenging his loss to Chris Curtis in 2024. Decision losses to Nassourdine Imavov and a rematch with Anthony Hernandez tested him, but he answered by outpointing Marvin Vettori at UFC 318 in 2025, then scoring the biggest win of his career: a fourth-round corner stoppage of top contender Reinier de Ridder. He followed with a decision over Edmen Shahbazyan in 2026.

Fighting style

Allen is a submission-first middleweight whose ground game is the engine of his success: 14 of his 27 wins have come by submission, anchored by an elite rear-naked choke, with another six by knockout for a 74 percent finish rate. He is a patient pressure fighter who uses his length to set up takedowns, advance position and hunt the neck, and his cardio and championship-round composure are genuine weapons. His striking has improved markedly over the years, though high-level kickboxers and the division's best wrestlers have at times outpointed him, as the Imavov and Hernandez decisions reflect.

Career highlights

• Career-defining win over Reinier de Ridder — broke the top contender via fourth-round corner stoppage in a 2025 main event, taking the fight on short notice and surging up the middleweight rankings.
• Seven-fight win streak — ran off a dominant 2022–2024 stretch packed with rear-naked-choke finishes that pushed him into title contention.
• Elite submission finisher — 14 of his 27 wins have come by submission, a 74 percent finish rate that ranks among the most lethal in the middleweight division.