Allen targets Duncan's uncharted late rounds at UFC Vegas 122 main event

Brendan Allen is betting that Christian Leroy Duncan’s stamina will crack before his own does when the two middleweights headline UFC Vegas 122 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Allen enters the contest at 27-7, riding a three-fight winning streak, while Duncan arrives at 15-2 and on five consecutive victories — yet the Englishman has never been pushed past the third round in his professional career. For Allen, who has competed in multiple five-round bouts, that statistical gap is the foundation of his entire game plan.

“I build as the fight goes on and he does not build as the fight goes on,” Allen said ahead of the card.

Allen is not simply planning to survive into the championship rounds; he intends to impose relentless pressure from the opening bell. He framed the matchup as a test of mutual willingness to absorb punishment, and made clear he has no intention of backing down from Duncan’s aggression.

“I love guys that want to come kill,” Allen said in a pre-fight interview. “But the question with him is, are you willing to be killed? I am. I’m willing to be killed. That’s just how I fight. That’s all I know how to do. When those lights come on, and they say, ‘Are you ready? Are you ready?’ That’s all I know how to do is just go try to kill.”

For Duncan, UFC Vegas 122 represents a significant step up — his first UFC main event. The Englishman’s five-fight streak has been built on early, decisive finishes, and Allen’s plan is designed specifically to neutralise that pattern by dragging the fight into territory Duncan has never experienced at the professional level.

If Allen’s reading of Duncan’s conditioning proves correct, the fourth and fifth rounds could be decisive — and Allen has made it plain he expects to be the stronger man when they arrive.