‘Because he’s a b*tch’: Brendan Allen explains why Dricus du Plessis fight wasn’t made

Brendan Allen took aim at Dricus du Plessis this week, blaming the former middleweight champion for a fight that never materialised despite being reportedly agreed in January. Allen, a top-5 contender at 185 pounds, was set to face du Plessis before the South African withdrew citing injury in April—though Allen expressed skepticism after seeing du Plessis post training videos shortly after. When du Plessis moved to a July bout against Kamaru Usman, Allen requested a fight with Usman instead, then cycled through other matchups, all of which fell through.

Frustrated by months of scheduling delays stretching from March through May, Allen eventually accepted an offer to co-headline UFC Vegas 118 this Saturday against unranked middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan—a fight that raised eyebrows given Allen's ranking against Shahbazyan's lack of top-15 status. "I got sick of waiting, sick of waiting, needed the money," Allen told MMA Fighting, explaining his reasoning for taking on an opponent outside the typical contender trajectory. Shahbazyan, 28, arrives on a three-fight winning streak, most recently stopping Andre Muniz at UFC 320 in October.

Allen framed the matchup pragmatically: fighting keeps him sharp, earns his paycheck, and allows him to build the life he wants outside the cage. He dismissed concerns that a victory over Shahbazyan carries little merit in title-picture terms, emphasizing instead his need to stay active rather than idle away months waiting for marquee opponents. Allen plans to impose his will across all aspects of the fight—grappling, striking, and pressure—while preventing Shahbazyan from gaining any confidence. "I'm going to beat him in his game, I'm going to beat him in mine, I'm going to beat him everywhere it goes," Allen said, projecting superiority in toughness, size, veteranship, and skill.