This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Seattle, we saw a big time rematch in the middleweight division between two rising contenders. Brendan Allen (24-7) was looking to get back in the win column and avenge an earlier loss to Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez (14-2).
These two had fought for the LFA middleweight title back in 2018 with Hernandez picking up the win. Allen was looking to get that one back while righting the ship after his last fight. The last time we had seen Allen was in September when he had his seven-fight win streak snapped by Nassourdine Imavov.
The first round looked great for Allen on Saturday night. He tried going for an early guillotine and that caused him to be on his back. However, he was able to reverse the position and do some damage with elbows securing the first round. Given Allen’s skills, I figured he would be strong early on Saturday, but I did wonder how he’d do in the second and third.
Those two rounds saw him fade to Anthony Hernandez who has an incredible gas tank. Hernandez put his foot on the gas in the final two rounds and he was able to take Allen down and control him for the majority of the two rounds. Both men saw success but there was not doubt as to who the winner was on Saturday night. Hernandez won at UFC Seattle moving to 2-0 over Allen.
What’s next after UFC Seattle?
From seven wins in a row to back-to-back losses. This is the rollercoaster known as MMA. Brendan Allen in back-to-back fights has really started strong before fading. Against Nassourdine Imavov, he dominated the first round before losing the final two rounds and the same thing happened on Saturday night.
If Allen could stay consistent with his cardio and keep the same level of intensity throughout the fight, he might be in serious title contention right now instead of suffering two straight losses. That said, Allen is still the 10th ranked UFC middleweight per the updated rankings. He’s shown that he’s one of the best in the world, he just needs to work on full fight cardio in my opinion.
So, what should be next for him? I actually think a great fight for Allen would be against Reinier De Ridder. De Ridder is 2-0 inside the octagon and now he’s ranked 15th in the division. I think this would be a great matchup for both men. For De Ridder, he could break into the top ten with a win. For Allen, he could defeat a former world champion and get back on track. A great fight for both men if you ask me.