Allen submits Britain's Duncan in Las Vegas, halting his title push
American middleweight Brendan Allen beat Britain's Christian Leroy Duncan by fifth-round submission at a UFC event in Las Vegas. The win moves Allen closer to a title shot.
American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Brendan Allen forced Britain's Christian Leroy Duncan to submit in the fifth round at a UFC event in Las Vegas. The middleweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship mattered for Duncan, who had hoped a win would earn him a title fight.
Duncan, 31, arrived on a five-fight winning streak. He had said that if he beat Allen convincingly, he wanted a title bout next. He entered the fight ranked 10th in the UFC middleweight division after beating former title challenger Jared Cannonier in July.
How the fight unfolded
The bout swung back and forth, and both men were hoping to win in the last round. Duncan was the busier striker throughout, landing 138 shots to Allen's 80. The American, though, came out on top in most of the grappling exchanges.
Duncan had a point deducted in the second round for an eye poke, which probably meant he needed a finish in the final round. In the end it made no difference, as Allen locked in a rear-naked choke for his eighth UFC submission win.
What comes next
Allen, 30, is ranked fifth at middleweight and has now won four in a row. His record stands at 28 wins and seven defeats, while Duncan suffered the third loss of his 18-fight career.
Allen pointed to the belt held by champion Sean Strickland afterwards: "I think we'll be rewarded next. I'm doing what I need to do. Where's the champion? If not, where's Dricus [Du Plessis]? He's been running for a while."
In the co-main event, British lightweight Jai Herbert won a unanimous decision over Brazil's Matheus Camilo. It was the 38-year-old Herbert's third win in four UFC fights, while Camilo suffered his second defeat in the promotion after winning his first two.
