Allen beats Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 118 and renews Strickland rematch push: 'I get him out of there now'

Brendan Allen extended his winning run to four fights with a co-main event victory over Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 118 on Saturday, and wasted no time renewing his campaign for a rematch against UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

Strickland defeated Allen back in November 2020 in a 195-pound catchweight bout, but both fighters have risen sharply since. Strickland went on to stun Israel Adesanya for the 185-pound title and later became a two-time champion by defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, while Allen assembled a seven-fight win streak that placed him firmly in the title picture.

“It’s been six years since we fought, I think I was beating him going into it,” Allen said after Saturday’s win. “I think I get him out of there now. I think Edmen’s the better version of him — he’s younger, he’s more technical, he’s faster — so I think Edmen’s a better version of him and I think I get Sean out of there, and ‘And New.’ But you never know.”

Allen’s case for a title shot is built on more than just persistence. His most recent run includes an upset of top-10 ranked Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Vancouver last October, a result that pushed him into the same conversation as contenders Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, and Chimaev — the latter of whom may seek an immediate rematch with Strickland himself.

Allen has also earned three Performance of the Night bonuses and featured in the Fight of the Night in two of his past three bouts, giving the UFC a commercial incentive to book him in a high-profile slot.

Should a Strickland rematch prove out of reach, Allen outlined an alternative path for 2026. “If not, let me and Nassourdine fight,” he said. “If Nassourdine wants to sit out and wait, that’s fine, let me fight the winner of Usman and Dricus in October, maybe early November at the worst. Right now I’m going to go get these injuries checked, I’m going to talk with Hunter and we’ll see what’s next.”

Allen acknowledged he may not match Strickland’s methodical style, but argued his relentlessness is precisely what makes him a threat. “Sometimes you’ve just got to be a dog and walk him,” he said, reflecting on how he eventually broke Shahbazyan down after the Iranian-American fighter tried to neutralise him on the back foot.

With the middleweight division crowded at the top, Allen’s path to Strickland is far from guaranteed — but Saturday’s performance ensured his name stays in the conversation.