Pinas praises Allen's UFC Vegas 122 win but hints at 2027 middleweight showdown

Damian Pinas offered public support for Brendan Allen following Allen’s fifth-round submission victory over Christian Leroy Duncan in the UFC Vegas 122 main event at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, only for a fan to misread the gesture as a callout — and for Pinas to then hint that a future fight might not be far off.

Allen improved his record to 28-7 with the win, extending his winning streak to four. Duncan, who entered at 15-3, was unable to survive into the championship rounds as Allen secured the finish to cement his place among the UFC middleweight division’s most consistent performers.

Pinas, riding a three-fight first-round knockout streak of his own since joining the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series, kept his post simple: “Lets go Allen.” A fan interpreted it as a premature callout and pushed back, questioning whether Pinas was targeting someone above his current ranking. Pinas was quick to correct the record. “It was a support not a call out,” he replied.

The 11-1 prospect, nicknamed “The Baba Yaga,” did not leave it there, however. In a follow-up post, Pinas acknowledged Allen’s quality while making clear he sees a path to beating him. “I was impressed by Allen nice performance But don’t get it twisted i still see the hole to victory in your game #allenVsPinas 2027?” he wrote.

Pinas’s most recent outing came at UFC 332 on October 3, where he stopped Andrey Pulyaev in the first round — his third consecutive finish inside the opening frame since arriving in the promotion. That run has established him as one of the more intriguing rising names in the 185-pound division.

Whether Allen, who is now firmly in the upper tier of UFC middleweights, would entertain a matchup with a prospect still building his résumé remains to be seen. For now, Pinas has planted a flag, however politely it was initially intended.