One of the fastest rising middleweights on the UFC roster, Brendan Allen (14-3) is both searching for his next opponent, and helping teammate Gerald Meerschaert (31-12) as he prepares to face Ian Heinisch (13-3) at UFC 250 this Saturday night at the UFC Apex.
Finding a fight hasn’t been the easiest for “All In.” Allen has had two fights fall through recently. One was against the aforementioned Heinisch, which was a match-up he really wanted, but timing was an issue. The other, and a match-up with ground specialist Eric Spicely.
“I got a call to fight Ian, that was a fight that I really wanted, but business wise it just didn’t make sense,” sai Allen. “I’m not willing to gamble much anymore with timing, with my wife and my daughter, especially about to go into a new contract. So business-wise I didn’t take it and it made me a mean person for about a week or so. I guess it’s just the competitor in me.”
Allen went on to explain what transpired after he declined the short notice fight with Heinisch. “They wanted me to fight him on May 30 and this was like the second week of May. I told them if they can push it back until June I will make it work no questions asked.” The promotion budged — but only a little. “They called me back and said the latest they could do is June 6, which gave three weeks of training literally coming off the couch and one week of cutting in Vegas. It’s just not a smart gamble.”
When this fight fell through, Allen moved on and focused on training more and preparing for whatever fight the UFC wanted to set him up with. Then came the news that Allen’s teammate Gerald Meerscheart would be matched with Heinsich on June 6, in Las Vegas. UFC 250. This did not sit well with the surging Roufusport product. “Apparently they had told Gerald that they would wait a week or so after June 6 for him, but they did not want to wait for me cause [Ian Heinsch] is a bit*h. I try to keep my cussing out of it but I think that highly of him, he’s a bit*h.”
The next call was for the Spicely fight. “They called me to fight Eric Spicely on June 20, so I said let’s do it. Then, they called me back the next day and said he can’t fight,” recalled Allen. “I didn’t ask any questions, I just said ‘what’s next?’ I haven’t heard back yet and I told them I would fight at 205 or 185. Hopefully I’ll see some people I know in Vegas this week and find something out.”
In years of interview Brendan “All In” Allen on the regional scene and in the UFC, I can honestly say I have never seen him this frustrated. When asked to elaborate on his frustrations, Allen was quick to respond. “I’ve asked for everyone possible that I think is smart. Right after Spicely said no to the fight, I said what about Trevin [Giles]? Never heard anything. What about Zac Cummings? I called him out Twitter, I called out [Krzysztof] Jotko twice and never heard anything. I try to be realistic, they are not going to give me anyone over the 13th ranked guy in my mind. I’ll fight anyone they want but it’s whether or not they will give it to me and right now it’s looking like I won’t fight until July.”
In the meantime, Allen leaves for Vegas this week to help Meerscheart as he prepares for a tough match-up with Heinisch. Brendan expects “GM3” to control the fight regardless of where it goes and bring home a win for Roufusport MMA. “It’s all about G right now, I want him to win. Honestly, as long as he comes out on his P’s and Q’s I don’t see any way Ian will do anything to him, and the way Gerald has looked in training, Ian is screwed.”
Buckle up for a fun fight weekend in Vegas as UFC 250 comes your way on ESPN+. After this weekend Allen will turn his focus to finding his next dance partner.
Check out our full interview with Brendan Allen below!
