Duncan demands UFC middleweight title shot if he beats top-five Allen at UFC Vegas 122

Christian Leroy Duncan has called for a UFC middleweight title shot or a bout with a former champion if he defeats Brendan Allen in the UFC Vegas 122 main event at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Duncan (15-2) headlines the card against the top-five-ranked Allen (27-7), having already beaten Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in his last two outings. The Englishman is 8-2 inside the Octagon and riding a five-fight winning streak, and he believes the calibre of his recent opponents makes the case for him.

“I don’t see why not [a title shot next],” Duncan told MMA Fighting. “We get a good performance this weekend, I don’t see why not… Brendan Allen being Top 4, it puts us in that title contention section where we’ve got Strickland and Imavov who are supposed to be fighting next. We’ve got DDP amongst that mix of former champions. It will be great to then put my hat in at the top level. This year I fought Roman being a Top 15 fighter, Cannonier being a Top 10 fighter and now Brendan Allen being a Top 5, so the natural progression from that would be a former champion.”

The middleweight title picture is congested at the top. Champion Sean Strickland has indicated that a compensation dispute is holding up the first defence of his second reign, with Nassourdine Imavov widely expected to be his next challenger. Former titleholders Khamzat Chimaev — who lost the belt to Strickland earlier this year — and Dricus Du Plessis, who holds two wins over Strickland, are also pushing for another crack at the 185-pound title.

Duncan’s argument rests on a logical progression: each of his last three opponents has been ranked higher than the last, and Allen’s top-five status would place a victory firmly in title-contention territory. Whether the UFC agrees may depend as much on the manner of any win as the result itself.