Three wins, a chase shot: Brendan Allen’s next test is Christian Leroy Duncan | MMA news

Brendan Allen wanted the fight to go up to the top of the UFC middleweight division. Instead, he will put his own position on the line against Christian Leroy Duncan, a rising star who has won five straight fights.Allen, ranked No. 4 in the division, has won his last three fights, most recently defeating Edmen Shahbazyan by unanimous decision on June 6. Duncan, ranked No. 10, heads into his UFC main event debut after back-to-back decision wins over Roman Dolidze and former title contender Jared Cannonier.For Allen, the fight is another chance to keep going at a stage where he believes he has to face opponents who are better than him. This also happens as he continues to look at how he might meet former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.Allen maintains that the fight with Du Plessis was agreed upon earlier this year before it ended. He was left looking for another opponent, and finally took Shahbazyan. Du Plessis went on to face Kamaru Usman and won by unanimous decision.Asked if he still believed Du Plessis’ fight was averted, Allen didn’t hold back.“Yes, I believe that war was 100% avoided. I think Dricus tricked me,” he said.“I understand the name value of the guy he fought (Kamaru Usman), but in terms of the level of competition, like where we are today, I think it was very different. I know I fight harder than Usman, especially with all the conditions, age and weight gain. I know it in my heart. He knows it in his heart. He took it easy,” Allen told the Times of India.That’s still a matchup Allen wants, but he’s not willing to wait forever for it to happen. His approach has been to keep fighting, even if the promised opponent doesn’t really move him up in the rankings.“I’m not saying this fight is the right fight for me, it’s the only fight there is, and I want to stay busy and make money while I can,” he said of Duncan.“So, I think fighting is a good fight, but it didn’t happen, and I can’t sit around and complain about it. I have to go out there and do my best and try to get a W, and then fight after that.”Allen said the uncertainty at this stage is a small part of why he wants to continue working. He also wants to continue to improve and achieve where he can.“Not trusting the team to go is one reason, but that’s very little. I don’t want to sit out. I want to make money. I’m spending like crazy, so I have to be successful. I have to keep busy and keep myself busy. Also, it helps my body stay fit and keeps me growing, keeps me doing what I need to do. And yes, I want to fight, I want to stay busy. “

Picture of a middleweight

This category has no shortage of accountable contestants. Sean Strickland is the current title holder, while Khamzat Chimaev, Du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov are among the names that surpassed Allen in the middleweight division.That leaves Allen with a chance to make it on his own, even after three straight wins. Duncan’s height adds another problem. A win over the fourth-ranked fighter would be the biggest result of his UFC career and could put him in contention against the top names in the division.Meanwhile, Allen knows that one win doesn’t automatically guarantee a title shot. He was blunt when asked when a fighter should stop accepting fights and start looking for a shot at the belt.“Winning battles is always a big thing, but I think you don’t want anything in this company. You go there and you get it, and no matter how much you keep fighting and keep winning, you never want for anything. You keep looking, keep trying, and when you get your shot, you can always wait if you want. “He can’t believe he has reached that point.“So I haven’t found mine yet, given the state of the wing and how it’s going and who’s there. But hopefully this is one or the other that I can say I belong to and I can always wait.”For Allen, beating Duncan could strengthen his argument against someone higher in the rankings. He also has a specific idea of ​​what could put him in a strong position to fight for the belt.“If I beat Duncan on Saturday, I think I’ll fight Dricus if he stops ducking me, or I’ll keep waiting for the belt. But I think Dricus is right. If I beat Leroy and I go out and beat Dricus, I can keep waiting, because no one is sure that I can get the title.”

To keep him focused

Allen’s most recent camps took him to Chicago, where he worked with Mike Valle and Bellal Muhammad. He said the biggest benefit was the attention he received during his preparation and the opportunity to focus on his development.“The environment has always been good, but in the end, I’ve been focused on one person and only focused on myself during my camps on how to get better and prepare for the guy I’m fighting, rather than being in a big room and having so many eyes everywhere.The issue of the knee he talked about after his victory over Shahbazyan has also been fixed. Allen said the rehab went well and didn’t interfere with his preparation for Duncan.“The knee is good.There is also time away from his family that comes with training camps and travel. Allen said managing that side of his job has become more difficult than the physical demands of fighting.“Definitely dealing with everything around the camp with my family and being away from them and not seeing them that much and going this way and that in the camps – and that’s a million and one most difficult situation. It’s a difficult thing to deal with, for sure.”Allen is more focused on Duncan, not the fight he believes should have happened earlier this year. But the main goal remains the same: keep winning, stay busy and put yourself in a position where the next call could be a fight for the UFC middleweight title.