Brendan Allen Expects at Least No. 1 Contender Fight with Win in April

Brendan Allen believes a middleweight title shot should be in his immediate future if he defeats upcoming opponent Marvin Vettori.

Allen (23-5), the No. 7-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight, is scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 240 against the No. 5-ranked perennial Italian contender on April 6 at the UFC Apex in Vegas.

“All-In” believes a victory over Vettori (19-7) will propel him to title contention or at the least secure him a shot at the No. 1 title contender spot.

“I feel it’s based on my performance,” the 28-year-old told MMA Junkie. “I think if I go out there and finish him and make it look easy, I think I drop my name in the hat for a title shot. But worst case scenario, a true No. 1 contender fight is after that. I really think it just comes down to me. It’s really up to me.

“I think overall, I think this is my fight to lose. I think I’m better in every single place the fight can go. The guy is definitely tough. He can sure take a beating, but I’ve shown I can give one. I really don’t put any emphasis on any of it. I just need to go out there and be me and see where the cards fall.”

Allen is currently riding a six-fight winning streak, including five submission wins with his most recent one coming against fellow submission artist Paul Craig at UFC Fight Night 232 in November.

Meanwhile, Vettori has gone 3-3 in his last six, only coming up short against elite competition.

Allen would have preferred a title shot against Sean Strickland, who handed him a Round 2 technical knockout loss back in 2020, but he wouldn’t mind fighting newly crowned champ Dricus Du Plessis.

“I was hoping it would be Sean to run that back, but I don’t mind it being [Dricus] either. I’ve been wanting to fight him since he got to the UFC, and he’s been steady flying by and taking the easy fights. It is what it is. He got the belt off it, but did he earn it? Is it his belt? To each their own. But no, it does not matter who’s champ when it’s my turn.”