Brendan Allen names only opponent who makes sense after UFC Vegas 122 win

LAS VEGAS – Brendan Allen has been wanting to fight Dricus Du Plessis for quite some time, and thinks there's no better time to make that fight happen than now.

Allen (28-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC) finds himself in his best career form, and ranked the highest he's ever been in the UFC's middleweight division. This new career high, which has him as a staple of the top five rankings, was furthered this Saturday, with Allen submitting Christian Leroy Duncan (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 290 at the Meta APEX. After the win, Allen called for a fight with the former UFC champion, and he hopes Du Plessis (24-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) steps up this time.

"Yeah, if he drops his nuts," Allen said at the UFC Fight Night 290 post-fight press conference. "It's all talk from his side all the time. I've been waiting to sign the contract. I see everyone just talking sh*t, 'Oh, I'm just calling out DDP.' He's the only one that makes sense, number one. Two, we've had our differences, and three, we were supposed to agree to fight before, so it's not like it's unreasonable. Everyone is asking about him, and I'm just answering questions. I'm not chasing that motherf*cker. If we fight, we fight. If not, we'll figure something else out. I know Hunter will have a plan for me, and we'll see what it is. Hopefully after tonight, we have some options on the table to where I can sit and wait for something bigger if need be."

Allen hopes to fight Du Plessis next, and he wants that fight to be in 2027. He's already fought twice this year, beating Edmen Shahbazyan and Duncan, and has no intention of getting back in the octagon this year.

"They said I think I have a mandatory 30 days, but I don't give a f*ck, I'm not fighting the rest of the year," Allen said. "I'm going to enjoy it. It's hunting season. That's why I always take out the last couple of months of the year. I'm going to enjoy myself, and just be a dad and a husband. I've worked really hard. A lot of these camps have been on short notice on the grand scheme of things, especially at this level. I'm taking the risk in multiple ways: fighting down and on short notice."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brendan Allen names only opponent who 'makes sense' after UFC Vegas 122 win