Brendan Allen vs. Sean Strickland Added to UFC Fight Night 182 Lineup

A middleweight showdown between Brendan Allen and Sean Strickland has been added to the UFC Fight Night 182 lineup.

Allen initially announced the pairing on Instagram, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. Allen was supposed to square off against Ian Heinsich at UFC on ESPN 17 last weekend before a positive COVID-19 test involving Heinisch resulted in the cancellation of that bout.

“It all happened super fast, but we got everything done and put together. Thank you SO much to the [UFC], [Dana White] and my guy [Mick Maynard] for working his tail off and taking super good care of me and getting me set up with a talented opponent,” Allen wrote.

UFC Fight Night 182 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and was originally scheduled to feature a lightweight clash between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev. Makhachev withdrew from the bout due to a staph infection, and the promotion is in the process of seeking a replacement opponent for dos Anjos. The card streams in its entirety on ESPN+.

After earning a contract on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Allen has kicked off his promotional tenure with three straight victories. Most recently, he outpointed Kyle Dakaus at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.

Strickland, meanwhile, returned from a two-year hiatus at UFC Fight Night 181, where he captured a three-round verdict against Jack Marshman on Oct. 31. Strickland is 8-3 in his promotional tenure and 21-3 as a pro overall.

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Lets try this again.....ITS FIGHT WEEK! Saturday night in Vegas i will fight Sean Strickland. It all happened super fast, but we got everything done and put together. Thank you SO much to the @ufc @danawhite and my guy @mickmaynard2 for working his tail off and taking super good care of me and getting me set up with a talented opponent