What Is The UFC Doing With Brendan Allen After Edmen Shahbazyan Booking?

There is one fighter whom Allen could have been given, however: Caio Borralho, who currently sits one rank above him. He is coming off a win over De Ridder at UFC 326 earlier this month and wants to continue his ascent to the title. Pitting him and Allen in a headliner is a most logical move.

Otherwise, if Allen has to fight down the rankings, Anthony Hernandez is coming off a lopsided loss to Strickland. Hernandez needs to regain his confidence after such a horrendous showing, and what better way to do so than by getting a hat trick against someone he knows well? Meanwhile, Allen can get a belated win against a “boogeyman”, just as Max Holloway did against Dustin Poirier.

Edmen Shahbazyan: The Comeback Kid?

On the other side of the matchup is Shahbazyan.

Famous for being an understudy of Ronda Rousey’s notorious head trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, “The Golden Boy” was initally worth the hype. Eight straight knockouts earned him a UFC contract, and while his 2018 debut ended in a rather dull split decision win, three finishes the following year seemed tantalizing.

Unfortunately, Derek Brunson proved to be too much, too soon, and it began a seeming downfall. Two more losses, the second to Imavov, led Tarverdyan to take a one-year break, during which he left Glendale for Xtreme Couture. The switch initially seemed to disappoint, as he split his first four fights under the new arrangement, but he is now on a three-win streak with two knockouts.

Now armed with a blend heavy strikes and more patient movement, Shahbazyan may be the most dangerous he has ever been. In a division that is seeing new contenders rise emery minute, he looks ready to prove why he was once called “The Golden Boy”.

End Of My Brendan Allen Rant

“Baffling” is a good word to describe this matchup.

Allen stands to gain nothing from this fight. If he wins, he only remains where he is, and he has no idea what his next step will be. If he loses, then he will take a massive fall and find his road back to the top much harder than before.

Perhaps there is one reason why this fight was booked: Allen is being punished for defeating De Ridder. He is one of the UFC’s biggest steals of the decade, being a former multi-division champion in ONE Championship before entering the Octagon. De Ridder had hoped to legitimize the Singaporean promotion, only for Allen to shatter that notion.

That result may have upset the executives, so they have given Allen someone beneath him – one who may be dangerous enough to knock him off his rung…