Brendan Allen went through a game of musical opponents en route to UFC Vegas 44.
The middleweight, a former LFA champion, was first paired up with Brad Tavares, then Roman Dolidze, before Chris Curtis finally stepped in on short notice. For Curtis, a teammate of Allen’s former rival Sean Strickland, it was his second fight in as many months.
He left the Apex on Saturday hungry for more.
The rivalry between Allen and the Curtis/Strickland camp seemed to put a new spin on the match-up, at least for Allen. Who, as it turned out, opened up the fight with an early takedown attempt. They’d settle back in on the feet, however, Curtis giving different looks, Allen working in a low kick or two. Before long, both men seemed stuck feinting more than fighting, until Allen fired a kick to the body. After another exchange, Curtis ripped a punch to the body; Allen would go back to a kick to the midsection. Curtis would go back to that body shot, and fire off a combo, while Allen responded with a combo capped off by a kick. As things opened up, a bit of jawing ensued, not surprisingly.
In the final minute of the opening round, they’d end up on the ground with Allen hunting for a heel hook. He didn’t have it, and Curtis would finish the round on top.
After a hard-fought, fast-paced opening round, Curtis and Allen seemed to pick up where they left off to open round two. Curtis went to the body shot once more. After absorbing an Allen kick, Curtis landed upstairs. Moments later, he’d rock Allen, putting the ex-LFA champ on rubber legs! Curtis moved in for the kill, following up with uppercuts and knees to the body. Allen went down, and Curtis moved to 2-0 inside the octagon!
HE DOES IT AGAIN!!! 🤯 @Actionman513 with a HUGE win! pic.twitter.com/cv8ckD7Jq9
— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2021
Making the win even more impressive, Curtis is fighting up a weight class — and actually called for a fight at next week’s UFC 269.
Official Result: Chris Curtis def. Brendan Allen by TKO, Round 2, 1:58
