Brendan Allen, after winning his seventh straight fight and moving up to No. 7 in the UFC middleweight rankings, is upset about potentially being the co-main event against Nassourdine Imavov in Paris and prefers to fight as the main event or have Imavov come to America instead.
Brendan Allen doesn’t want to play second fiddle to anyone.
In April, Allen won a split decision over Chris Curtis in the main event of UFC Vegas 90. This win not only avenged his most recent loss but also marked his seventh straight victory. Consequently, he moved up to No. 7 in the UFC middleweight rankings. Now, it seems the UFC is eyeing a bout between him and No. 4 ranked Nassourdine Imavov—at least according to Allen.
On Monday, Allen posted a video on Instagram revealing that the UFC wants him to fight Imavov when they return to Paris in the fall. While Allen is okay with the matchup, he’s less thrilled about being in the co-main event slot.
“This is for everyone asking me what’s up, when am I fighting?” Allen said. “Two weeks ago, they said Imavov in Paris. I said yes. I want to be main event because I’ve headlined three in a row and won all three.”
“I’m going into enemy territory,” he continued, “so if we’re taking all this risk for all the gain, let’s go—main event.”
“Next thing you know,” he added with frustration, “we see [Benoit Saint Denis] and [Renato] Moicano are the main event.” He didn’t hold back: “I ain’t f*cking going all the way to Paris for these two dudes to go over me.”
“One dude is coming off a loss; the other one barely wins,” he scoffed. “Nah, I’m not with it.”
The UFC makes its third trip to Paris and the Accor Arena on Sept. 28. They recently announced that Saint Denis and Moicano will headline as the five-round main event.
Moicano has become a fan-favorite since adopting his “Money” persona and recently scored a TKO win over Jalin Turner at UFC 300. Meanwhile, Saint Denis—a former French Special Forces operator—lost his most recent fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299.
That seems to be Allen’s sticking point: why should he play second fiddle? Instead of heading overseas, he urged Imavov to come stateside.
“So Imavov,” Allen challenged, “if you want this work or whatever you call it, come on over to America; we’ll get it done.” He emphasized there’s no reason they should be below those guys on the card.
“I know it’s the Ultimate Followers Championship,” he quipped sarcastically, “but even though they got followers, just put them on the card; people will come anyway.”
Again addressing Imavov directly: “If it’s just me you want to fight,” Allen reiterated, “come on over to America; we’ll get it done.”
Currently ranked No. 4 in UFC’s middleweight division, Imavov is coming off a controversial win over Jared Cannonier at UFC Louisville back in June.
But will Imavov take up Allen’s offer? It remains unclear as Imavov trains out of Paris and hasn’t competed in his home country since UFC debuted there in 2022.
And so we wait…