logo
UFC Fight Night 252's Brendan Allen sees flaws in Dricus Du Plessis' resume

UFC Fight Night 252's Brendan Allen sees flaws in Dricus Du Plessis' resume

Yahoo20-02-2025

SEATTLE – Despite his perfect run in the octagon, Brendan Allen still has criticisms of UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis.
Allen (24-6 MMA, 12-3 UFC), who rematches Anthony Hernandez in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 252 middleweight co-headliner at Climate Pledge Arena (ESPN+), has never been reluctant to try to tear down Du Plessis' resume.
Even with Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) now holding two wins over Sean Strickland, plus Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Darren Till and more, Allen isn't convinced of the champ as some sort of all-time great.
In Allen's opinion, the hindsight and context of Du Plessis' biggest wins can already be called into question.
"Somehow Dricus just gets it done," Allen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 252 media day. "If you look at his resume on paper, you're like f*ck man, this guy's a stud. But if you really look at it and watch the fights, he fights these guys that have such a great name, but look at the time that he fights them. He's fighting them kind of when they're not really motivated or on their way out, or just Father Time is getting them. Whatever the case may be.
"For instance, you see (Adesanya) on someone's resume and you think of the Izzy at his top and you're like, 'Wow, he beat this guy.' Then you watch the fight and you're like, 'This ain't the Izzy that fought Paulo Costa or anything like that. This ain't the same guy.' So I think he just gets them at the best times. The best names at the best times, and it is what it is."
Allen has the intent of climbing up to a championship fight and meeting Du Plessis if he's still there. First, though, he must get past Hernandez (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) this weekend and avenge a unanimous decision loss in their first meeting at LFA 32 in January 2018.
"Overlook me, do what you want – I don't care," Allen said. "My money stays the same no matter what. So I'm going to go out there, I'm going to beat up Anthony and move on to the next step. It's nothing different. ... If the best me shows up, I'm the best fighter in the world at middleweight. I just need to be the best me."
UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis insists undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is no 'boogeyman'
UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis laughs off Belal Muhammad's challenge
Brendan Allen 'a different monster' for Anthony Hernandez rematch at UFC Fight Night 252
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Fight Night 252's Brendan Allen sees flaws in Dricus Du Plessis' resume

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title
Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title

USA Today

time25 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title

Joaquin Buckley: Islam Makhachev 'definitely going to run' from me if he wins UFC title Joaquin Buckley doesn't see Islam Makhachev sticking around the UFC welterweight division for too long. Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) is looking to emerge as No. 1 contender when he takes on former champion Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in Saturday's UFC on ESPN 69 (ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. But before Buckley potentially gets his shot, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) will challenge recently crowned UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later in the year – even though Buckley doesn't agree. "So once I beat Kamaru Usman, there is no debate, there is no back-and-forth, there is no argument, we up next," Buckley said on his YouTube channel. "You got this guy from 155 coming up thinking he's going to take my spot. No, we can't have it. The JDM fight and Islam fight is not a massive fight to make. JDM is the world champion right now, but I truly believe that Islam got to sit back and just wait for me to get my title because I will be the hardest fight that Islam has." Unfortunately for Buckley, UFC CEO Dana White has already declared Makhachev next in line for Della Maddalena. If both Buckley and Makhachev emerge victorious in their next fights, "New Mansa" doesn't see the former UFC lightweight champion wanting to face him. "He's not going to outwrestle me. He's not going to submit me," Buckley said of Makhachev. "I've never been submitted in my career, and he's definitely not going to stand on the feet with me. If the people want to see it, it's going to be made. ... If Islam does get blessed with that title shot, and he does beat JDM, he's not going to stay there. He's going to retire. He's going to get up out of there, quit, because he knows he's not a natural 170 fighter – and especially with myself, he's definitely going to run from a person like me."

Lee Corso's final ‘College GameDay' to come at Ohio State in Week 1
Lee Corso's final ‘College GameDay' to come at Ohio State in Week 1

New York Times

time29 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Lee Corso's final ‘College GameDay' to come at Ohio State in Week 1

Lee Corso's final mascot headgear pick for 'College GameDay' will come at Ohio State, where it all began. ESPN's flagship college football show will go to Columbus, Ohio, in Week 1, where the Buckeyes will face Texas in what is expected to be a top-five matchup. ESPN said in April that the 89-year-old Corso would retire after Week 1 of the upcoming season, giving him a celebratory sendoff, but it did not name the location. There was some speculation the show could go to the Florida State-Alabama game, as Corso played at FSU in the 1950s alongside actor Burt Reynolds (and because Ohio State-Texas will be broadcast on Fox). 📍 Week 1: Columbus, OH We're kicking off College GameDay with a trip to Texas-Ohio State, as we celebrate Lee Corso's final show back where he first made headgear history! 🤩 — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) June 10, 2025 But the show will send Corso off where the headgear picks began. While Corso has been on the show since its inception in 1987, his first mascot pick came at Ohio State in 1996 for the Buckeyes' game against Penn State. Corso has made 430 headgear picks, from Buckeyes to animals to helmets to full-on costumes. He's correctly picked 66.5 percent of those choices, according to ESPN, including a perfect 11-0 in 1999. Brutus Buckeye has been the most popular pick, chosen 45 times, with Alabama just behind at 38. 'When it was our game, I was always hoping he didn't pick us,' Nick Saban said in April, 'because I knew the players were watching and I wanted reverse rat poison.' Coach Lee Corso by the numbers 🤯 🐻 430 mascot headgear picks🏈 66.5% win rate of picks all-time🏆 Perfect season = 1999 More on LC's 38 years on @CollegeGameDay: — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 17, 2025 'My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and 'College GameDay' for nearly 40 years,' Corso said in a news release in April. 'I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.'

ESPN shared plans to celebrate Lee Corso in final College GameDay show
ESPN shared plans to celebrate Lee Corso in final College GameDay show

USA Today

time38 minutes ago

  • USA Today

ESPN shared plans to celebrate Lee Corso in final College GameDay show

ESPN shared plans to celebrate Lee Corso in final College GameDay show For 38 seasons of College GameDay, Lee Corso has been the marquee figure of ESPN's traveling pregame show. And with Corso's broadcasting career coming to an end, ESPN revealed its plans to celebrate the 89-year-old's legendary run. There will be one last headgear pick for Corso, and it fittingly will be taking place on the campus of Ohio State. While the Buckeyes' season-opening matchup with Texas was already worthy of a GameDay trip, the reasoning for that pick made perfect sense as Corso's final show. Back in 1996, Corso started the headgear tradition when he donned the mascot head for Brutus ahead of Ohio State's win against Penn State. After that, the headgear pick became a staple of the broadcast. Going back where the tradition started is a fitting way to bring Corso's journey full circle. He'll be 90 years old when the Aug. 30 matchup kicks off — what a run it was.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store