Athletes
A Focused Brendan Allen Is A Dangerous Brendan Allen
Surging Middleweight Discusses Keys To Current Hot Streak Ahead of Second Straight Main Event Assignment
“I don’t need to be anyone else; being Brendan Allen is good enough, and that’s what I need to go do.”
That was the last thing the streaking middleweight told me prior to his main event clash with Paul Craig last November, as we talked about the changes and improvements he’d made during the course of his then five-fight winning streak and what was needed to extend it to six.
A couple days later, the small-town Louisiana man marched into the Octagon and turned in what is quickly becoming his signature type of effort, dominating in every facet before wrapping up a rear-naked choke early in the third to secure the tap.
Having talked about “just being himself” and the changes he’s made when it comes to speaking to himself ahead of and during fights as key elements to his hot streak, it only seemed fitting to further mine those depths as “All In” readies to make his first start of 2024 in this weekend’s main event.
“I just try to speak to myself more as a friend than dogging me down,” he said when asked to expand on the way he speaks to himself ahead of Saturday’s five-round rematch with Chris Curtis, who steps in on short notice, replacing Marvin Vettori. “It changes for each opponent, each time there could be something else that is going on in my life that is dragging me down, so we figure out what’s going on and the best ways my body works.
“It’s still a work in progress. It’s training — it’s just like training jiu jitsu or wrestling or striking; it’s training for your brain.”
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The need for Allen to work on this side of things stems from the myriad variables and unknowns that a fighter has to deal with ahead of and during each fight.
There are multiple moving parts and different obligations during fight week, not to mention the cacophony of questions each new opponent and each different matchup bring to the fore as an athlete is sharpening their weapons and readying to walk into battle. They can be daunting, and anyone that says they don’t spend time poring over those things ahead of time is likely spinning a yarn, because no matter the field, we can all get in our heads at times.
Brendan Allen Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig
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Brendan Allen Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig
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Allen knows this about himself, has come to understand this about himself, and as such, has continually taken steps to address it.
“For me, it’s always the question of ‘How is he going to be when you’re actually in the cage with him? How much different? How much easier? How much harder?’” said Allen, identifying the questions that can keep him up at night, figuratively speaking. “Those things, for me, that's the nerve-racking part.
“I’m nervous. I’m not scared to lose, but I’m nervous; I don’t wanna lose.
RELATED: Recap Allen's Six-Fight Winning Streak
“But after you feel the tempo, the strength, the pace, the timing, then it all just,” continued Allen, letting out an exaggerated exhale, “calms me down and that’s where I really start to thrive.
“(It’s about) being ready, but trying not to focus too much,” he added. “When I focus too much, I’ll find something negative in there, so I try not to focus on those things.”
What he does focus on is trying to ensure that the guy that steps through the gate and into the Octagon on Saturday night is as close to the guy that spent weeks on the mats at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida, away from his family, working to ensure that he comes home with another victory.
There have been points in the past where that hasn’t happened, where the effort and skills from the gym didn’t translate into the Octagon, but during the course of his current winning streak, that version has largely been the guy turning up on fight night and standing triumphant in the center of the cage when it’s all said and done.
“I try to (bring) the guy from the gym into (the Octagon), and if I do that, I think I can beat anyone in the world on any day,” Allen said confidently. “So I just go in there to be me. If I can be me every time, I’ll bet on me every time and I think I’m gonna win every time.
“I can be caught like every person — a puncher’s chance is real; it can happen to anyone.
“I know I can go out there and get caught, again, but skill-for-skill, I know I’m better; I think he knows I’m better,” added Allen, the “he” in this case being Curtis, who got the better of things in their first meeting in December 2021, which is the last time the sixth-ranked middleweight was saddled with a loss. “So that’s what I’m focusing on: going out there, focusing for 29 minutes, being so focused, dialled in, and not letting anything deter me.
“I just want to be focused for 29 minutes.’
Originally slated to face off with perennial contender Marvin Vettori, Allen admitted that he and his team had a sense that “The Italian Dream” might not make it to fight night, and it’s not like this is the first time he’s been forced to deal with a change in opponents.
It’s not even the first time he’s had to do this against Curtis, though the proud father of two isn’t looking at their bout on Saturday as a chance to get even after what transpired the first time around.
“It’s frustrating, for sure, but it’s part of the game,” Allen said of the change in opponents. “I know Chris is gonna be that guy; you can call him, he’s gonna say ‘Yes,’ he’s gonna come and be game, and he’s gonna give it his best every time. When they said his name was on the table, I was like, ‘I already know where this is gonna go.’
“I’m not looking at it as to get one back; I’m looking at it as a whole new venture,” he added when asked about getting some vengeance this weekend in Las Vegas. “I’m just hoping to go out there and be the best me; be Brendan Allen.”
Pressed for his take on how the fight will play out, the ascending middleweight from “The Boot” was happy to oblige.
“I just think I’m gonna be too technically sound,” he said. “I’m gonna mix it up really well; I’m gonna shock him with how well I can mix things together. I know he’s probably gonna stuff one or two takedowns, he’s probably gonna get up once or twice, but you can see my numbers are one or two; after that, I’m gonna take over.
“Overall, I’m gonna go out there, implement my game plan, implement my will. I’m gonna do what I want, when I want; that’s the goal.”
Brendan Allen Secures First Round Rear Naked Choke | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Brendan Allen Secures First Round Rear Naked Choke | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan
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Beating Vettori would have carried Allen another step forward in the rankings, as the former title challenger is positioned ahead of him in the rankings, but facing Curtis doesn’t carry the same upside; the 37-year-old “Action Man” currently sits at No. 14 in the middleweight division.
It’s another one of those points that Allen could get bogged down on, too worried about, too in his own head about if he let himself, but instead, he’s chosen to acknowledge the high risk, low reward nature of the matchup, and concentrate on the one thing that matters most as he readies to make the walk for the first time this year.
“I know there’s not a lot of reward for me in this, as of now — afterwards we can look back and see — but as of now, it’s all risk for me, and all reward for him,” admitted Allen. “He’s not risking nothing — he’s (No. 14); I’m (No. 6) — so there’s not a big risk factor for him. I’m supposed to beat him.
“All that aside, I just fall back to the one thing: focus,” he added. “If I’m focused, I’m gonna do what I need to do.”
Gavin Porter contributed to this story
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 6, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards, and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
