Latest news with #BrendanAllen
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘This game's over' – Paul Craig admits Dana White and Co. may wield UFC axe if he loses crunch Rodolfo Bellato clash
PAUL CRAIG will enter the cage this weekend with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Scottish submission artist will make his 20th venture to the octagon early on Sunday morning at UFC Vegas 106. 7 7 7 And he'll do so in uncharted territory having lost his last three in a row, the worst skid of his near nine-year run in mixed martial arts' top promotion. Brazilian bruiser Rodolfo Bellato stands between the Airdrie assassin and a much-needed return to the win column in the final fight of his current contract. And he admits it could be curtains for his time as a fighter in MMA 's top promotion if he doesn't have his hand raised in the Sin City showdown. In an exclusive interview with SunSport, he said: "The way the UFC works is you need to be winning. That's what this sport is about, and what you do in that octagon. "It's not about all the extra media you do or your ability to chat. That's a very small part of this job. "It's about what happens in that octagon. And I do believe that coming off the three losses, with three of those losses being against three good opponents. "It wasn't like I had been beaten off no-names. I got beat off, Brendan Allen, who's in that top 15 and he's in that mix. "And I got beat off Caio Borralho who's the same. And some people say he's probably the next champion in that division. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 7 "And then when you look at Bo Nickal, I wasn't beaten. I beat myself in the Bo Nickal fight. You're always worried about your next contract. "And this is kind of one of these moments where if you don't perform on Saturday night against Rodolfo Bellato, there's a good chance that the UFC won't pick you back up. Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery "So that fear is what kind of motivates me as well. "We've seen that when I fought Magomed Ankaleav and I got that victory in the last fight of my contract for that period. "And I'm coming to the same sort of moment in my life where this is all or nothing. "'Do you want to be a UFC fighter? Or do you want to go back to Monday [to Friday] nine-to-five and be a teacher or be working in a gym? Is that what you want to do as your job?' "And I'm like, 'You know what, I do believe there's a little bit left in me to be a UFC fighter and be a light heavyweight champion.' "So it's all or nothing come Saturday. "I would love to say you're going to see a different version of Paul Craig, but you never know what happens on that night. But I'm definitely going there out on my shield. And it's a victory I'm looking for." Paul's back may be up against the wall, but he has a habit of rising to the occasion when the going gets tough. Two of his best wins have come when he's suffered consecutive losses, the first being his Hail Mary stoppage of 205lbs champ Magomed Ankalaev and his beatdown of middleweight contender Andre Muniz. "When there is pressure, I do believe that's when you see the best Paul Craig," he said. "Somebody made a meme online and it's like, 'Paul Craig can beat anyone on any given night.' And it's true, I can beat anyone. 7 "If you put somebody in front of me and as long as I'm switched on and there's enough added external pressure, then I will rise to the occasion. "And I do believe this is going to be one of these moments." Paul will have to be the most "switched on" he's been in recent years to get the better of Dana White 's Contenders Series graduate Bellato, a hard-hitting former LFA light-heavyweight champion. Bellato's early handiwork in the UFC has impressed Paul, although he believes the Brazilian bruiser has shortcomings when it comes to fortitude. "He's an amazing MMA practitioner," Paul said of the 29-year-old. "He's coming off a draw. "He's working with guys like Alex Pereira. He's got a very good jiu-jitsu ground game and he's got a very good stand-up striking game. "But what he's not got is he's not got that heart of a warrior. He's not got that Celtic blood in him that runs deep. "And I do believe that's what we're going to show on Saturday night. "That ability to pick ourselves back up and keep driving forward and looking for our victories." Victory over Bellato with his proverbial back up against the wall will not only save Paul's UFC bacon, it'll stop him from walking away from the sport entirely. And the magnitude of the do-or-die desert dust-up will continue to weigh heavily on his mind until the dust has settled on the Apex clash. He said: "It needs to be a victory for the UFC career-saving moment. This is the last fight on my contract. I do want to keep being a fighter. "I do believe, as I get a little bit older, that I'm getting better, skill-wise, with regards to jiu-jitsu. I'm always learning. "I do believe that I'm a much better version of a mixed martial artist than I was back when I first started. And that's the thing that keeps me in this sport. "As long as I can keep getting better, then I'll keep staying in this sport. "And as we said, there's a lot of pressure coming off of three losses. I need the win or this game's over for Paul Craig in the UFC."
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Casino brawl turns into an official Octagon bout
Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Marvin Vettori casino fight Brendan Allen UFC 318 . Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen scheduled to settle out issues at UFC 318 in New Orleans Brawls outside the ring are a common thing in the world of combat sports. Be it between fighters or fighters and fans, every now and then, there are stories of brawls erupting across different promotions and events. One such incident was when top UFC middleweight contendergot into an uglywithafter PFL 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Right after a few months from the date of the incident, the fighters now finally have a chance to vent out their rage as they have been scheduled for one of the cards inThe feud between Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen started in August 2024, right after a PFL event. Marvin was previously in disagreement with one of the fellow fighters, Tuco Tokkos, which was followed by the former fighter physically assaulting the latter. This is where Brendan stepped in and rushed at Marvin, landing punches, compelling the latter to fall back on one of the roulette tables. The incident was featured as one of the nastiest public brawls in the history of this incident, Marvin stepped into the Octagon against Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 104. The bout ended in favor of Dolidze via a unanimous decision. Marvin, before facing Dolidze, was out of the Octagon for a very long time. Post the defeat, Vettori after a couple of days, posted on X, calling out Brendan for his next bout, with an extra fighter wrote, 'Saturday sparked the fire again, 21 months out was a bit. Angry Vettori might be back lol. Time to win some fights. Allen before I see you outside what you doing next? Who is gonna retire who?'Seems like the UFC has heard and granted Marvin's request, as sources have revealed that the fighters would be facing each other in UFC 318 at New Orleans. The fighter now have a chance to settle their grudge for good inside the have gone crazy over the revelation. One of them wrote, 'great matchmaking. really like this spot for Brendan LFG bro @BrendanAllenMMA'Another one wrote, 'The rematch we've all been waiting for' referring to the casino brawl post PFL 8.'Real beef fight I dig it'Also read: 'Epic roasting' - Fans go crazy after UFC champion Magomed Ankalaev claims to have hacked Alex Pereira's X account UFC 318 has been scheduled for July 19, 2025. The cards of the event has already generated sufficient attraction with the Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3rd rematch. With the addition of the grudge match, the event will feature of the the most interesting fights within the Octagon.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori rebooked for UFC 318 in New Orleans
Brendan Allen vs. Marvin Vettori rebooked for UFC 318 in New Orleans This summer's UFC return to New Orleans has its second fight. Brendan Allen is set to take on former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori at UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 19 at Smoothie King Center. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking following an initial report from MMA Mania. Allen and Vettori were scheduled to fight 13 months ago, but Vettori had to pull out of the fight. This time, they'll try to tee it up in "The Big Easy." The card is former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier's retirement event in front of his home-state fans in a BMF trilogy bout against ex-featherweight champ Max Holloway. Allen (24-7 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is mired in the first slump of his career. He's working off back-to-back decision setbacks to Nassourdine Imavov and Anthony Hernandez, the latter of which came in February. Prior to that, he was on a seven-fight winning streak that included five rear-naked choke finishes and three post-fight bonuses. Vettori (19-7-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) is on a two-fight skid of his own. It's been nearly four years since he challenged then-champion Israel Adesanya for the 185-pound title at UFC 263, but dropped a decision. He was up and down after that with wins over Paulo Costa and Roman Dolidze, but losses to ex-champ Robert Whittaker and ex-title challenger Jared Cannonier. After nearly two years away recovering from injury, Vettori returned in March and dropped a decision to Dolidze in a rematch, giving him the first skid of his pro career, as well.
USA Today
26-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier suggests 'someone real' for Anthony Hernandez'z next opponent
Daniel Cormier wants to see a big step up in competition for Anthony Hernandez. Hernandez (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) extended his winning streak to seven when he defeated Brendan Allen by unanimous decision in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 252 co-main event at Climate Pledge Arena. His streak includes finishes over the likes of Roman Kopylov and Michel Pereira. Cormier thinks Hernandez's impressive run warrants a big name in the middleweight division. 'You know why I like him? Because I watched Nassourdine Imavov just knock out Izzy, but I also just watched Nassourdine Imavov go dog fight with Brendan Allen in France last year,' Cormier said on 'Good Guy/Bad Guy' with Sonnen. 'Imavov won that third round to beat Brendan Allen, barely. Hernandez goes and does that, too. Hernandez is the real deal and if he can beat a guy like Brendan Allen right after he beats Pereira and then he beat Kopylov and then he beat Shahbazyan. He's won four in a row now. It's KO, sub, KO, unanimous decision. I think it's time that we put this kid in there with someone real. 'The question is, though, can you get him a fight with a guy – I can't believe I'm about to say this, because it just says how far we've come. Can you get a guy like Izzy to fight him? That's the classic story, we tell it every time. He beat Allen, who's No. 9. You've got (Marvin) Vettori who's in there, (Jared) Cannonier at 7, Caio Borralho at 6, Robert Whittaker 5, Izzy at 4. Can you get a Whittaker or an Izzy to fight this kid next? Because that's that situation where you've got to start using those names from the prior generation now to elevate a guy like 'Fluffy' Hernandez.' Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) finds himself in an unfamiliar territory having lost three fights in a row. Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker's (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) road back to gold took another halt when he was quickly submitted by Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Fight Night 252's Brendan Allen sees flaws in Dricus Du Plessis' resume
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
