Brendan Allen is ready to reclaim his place in the UFC middleweight title picture, and he has his sights set on champion Sean Strickland. Following a decisive victory over Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night 278, Allen is eager to face Strickland again, saying, “Let’s run this sh*t back.”
The fight, which took place on June 6, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, marked Allen’s third consecutive win, solidifying his position as a top contender in the middleweight division. With a record of 27 wins and 7 losses in MMA, and 15 wins against 4 losses in the UFC, Allen believes he has earned the right to challenge for the title.
“I don’t think I deserve anything. I earned it,” Allen expressed during the post-fight press conference. He reflected on his previous encounter with Strickland back in 2020, where Strickland handed him his first UFC defeat, ending a seven-fight winning streak. “If you watch our fight from different angles, you can see he didn’t really land on me. I was doing well until the end.”
Allen is confident that he has improved since their last bout and believes he could finish Strickland this time around. He even suggested that Shahbazyan, whom he just defeated, is a more advanced version of Strickland. “I think Edmen is a better version of him. He’s younger, more technical, and faster. I truly believe I can get Sean out of there.”
However, Allen is also open to other matchups if Strickland isn’t available. He mentioned the possibility of fighting Nassourdine Imavov or the winner of the upcoming bout between Kamaru Usman and Dricus Du Plessis, scheduled for October. “If Nassourdine wants to wait, that’s fine. But I want to keep moving forward,” he stated.
Despite being a top-five ranked fighter, Allen faced an unranked opponent in Shahbazyan, a decision he took on with pride. “I guess I’m not the most likable guy, and I don’t have the most followers, but I can fight,” he said. “I took this fight because I needed to make money, and he was the next guy in line. He pushed me to find a new version of myself.”
With Allen’s sights firmly set on Strickland and the middleweight title, fans are left wondering if he can turn his ambitions into reality. What’s next for Allen in his quest for championship glory?
