Brendan Allen did the unthinkable on Saturday. As a short-notice replacement for Anthony Hernandez, he wore down surging former ONE champion Reiner de Ridder en route to a fourth-round corner stoppage.
That puts the former LFA middleweight champion in position to gain many spots when the rankings are updated this Tuesday. It also puts him in prime position to contend for a title.
Not much was expected of Allen when he stepped in for the fight. After all, de Ridder had won his first four fights in the Octagon, including a breakout decision against former champion Robert Whittaker. Going to the ground with him was seen as a folly, given his submission prowess (13 of his wins have come that way).
Allen, however, was not to be intimidated. All night long, he secured takedowns and established mat control against one of the best grapplers at 185. Eventually, de Ridder proved so physically and mentally tired that his corner refused to let him begin the fifth round. It was an unprecedented upset that shook up the divisional hierarchy.
Allen called out three people afterward: current champion Khamzat Chimaev and former champions Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland. Which of them is he likeliest to face?
First and straight up, Chimaev is implausible. “Borz” already has his next challenger set – Nassourdine Imavov.
How about du Plessis? Given how lopsidedly he lost his title, he was never going to get an immediate rematch. That is someone whom Allen can realistically meet.
Then, there is Strickland. Allen lost to him in 2020, albeit at a catchweight of 195 lbs. Both men have dramatically changed since then, and avenging that defeat may be the final step that “All In” needs to become elite.
Finally, there is the “nuclear option”: Hernandez himself. Allen already has two losses to him, but as Max Holloway has proven, that is no deterrent to trying a third time.
Middleweight has been in flux ever since Strickland shockingly dethroned Israel Adesanya in 2023. It was supposed to be “The Last Stylebender”‘s greatest performance to date, but it instead created a renaissance that has seen many contenders arise.
Allen is the newest member of that breed, and it will be interesting to see what the next step in his career is.
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