Middleweights Krzysztof Jotko and Brendan Allen faced off on the prelim portion of UFC Vegas 61.
Both men have been on the edge of the rankings for some time and have achieved impressive wins over formerly ranked fighters. In the build up to the fight the pair had bad blood between them, with Allen accusing Jotko of turning down the fight while the Pole denied that and said that Allen was “An annoying kid from the Louisiana swamp.” Each man came into the fight on the back of a winning streak, so something would have to give.
A slip allowed Jotko to get on top early in the fight. Allen attempted an arm-bar from his guard but Jotko was able to spin out of it and end up in half guard.
Jotko maintained a low base, not posturing up at all, and only occasionally did damage. Allen locked down Jotko for the most part until suddenly he exploded and executed a half guard sweep to get on top in the Pole’s full guard. The youngster, Allen, slammed Jotko back to the ground when he stood up and got into full mount immediately. Jotko was able to regain half guard, however.
Allen trapped Jotko’s arm next to his head and seemed to be setting up an arm triangle but Jotko was aware and defended. However, when Jotko turned to his stomach Brendan was able to take his back and immediately lock up a tight rear-naked choke, giving the Pole no choice but to tap. This extended Allen’s win streak to three and made him the first man to submit Jotko since the Pole’s second UFC fight, back in 2014. It was an overall impressive performance against a former ranked fighter that was sure to set up a big match-up for the young man.
Official Result: Brendan Allen def. Krzysztof Jotko by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:17
