Brendan Allen won UFC Vegas 122 main event while fighting a staph infection on antibiotics

Brendan Allen submitted Christian Leroy Duncan with a fifth-round rear-naked choke in the UFC Vegas 122 headliner at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday — but teammate Belal Muhammad has since revealed Allen did it while battling a staph infection and competing on antibiotics.

Muhammad shared an image of the infection on social media, disclosing that Allen had been dealing with the condition since Tuesday of fight week and still had five days of antibiotics remaining when he stepped into the cage. The revelation adds context to moments during the fight where Allen appeared to be operating below his usual level.

“What people don’t know is Brendan was dealing with a staph infection since Tuesday of fight week,” Muhammad wrote. “Had to get on antibiotics, still has 5 days left on them, and despite all that adversity, went out there and got the finish. Never complained, never made excuses, just found a way to win. That’s the heart of a champion. Proud of my brother.”

The finish was Allen’s fourth consecutive victory and came in a back-and-forth contest against Duncan, who had entered the fight on a five-fight win streak. It was also Duncan’s first UFC main event, and while he pushed Allen through five competitive rounds, he was unable to secure the result on his biggest night in the promotion to date.

Following the win, Allen wasted little time in calling out former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, signalling his ambitions at the top of the 185-pound division.