Brendan Allen Submits Christian Leroy Duncan

Brendan Allen beat Christian Leroy Duncan by fifth-round submission in Saturday’s main event at the Meta APEX.

After a back-and-forth fight mixing striking and grappling, Allen took Duncan’s back in round five and locked in a choke, forcing the tap with just over two minutes left.

It was Allen’s eighth submission win in the UFC and should move him up from No. 5 at middleweight. Duncan will drop out of the top 10, and the loss was the first stoppage defeat of his career.

In his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Allen asked for a shot at champion Sean Strickland. Strickland was expected to face Nassourdine Imavov in December, but talks stalled because the UFC hadn’t met his financial demands.

If the title shot doesn’t come next, Allen is willing to keep climbing toward the No. 1 contender spot and said a fight with former champion Dricus du Plessis would serve that purpose.