Brendan Allen vs Shahbazyan: Will the 'Sleepy Time' King Strike Again?

Brendan Allen is the kind of guy who lets himself into your house, raids your fridge, parks himself on your couch, and slaps on a rear-naked choke before you can even offer him a coffee. A true neck-hunting vampire in the middleweight division, the Louisiana native has turned the UFC octagon into a Thai massage parlor gone wrong. Standing across from him, Edmen Shahbazyan already knows he can't afford a single mistake if he wants to keep breathing easy.

🥊 Quick Stats

Name: Brendan Allen
Record: 24-6-0
Signature Move: A rear-naked choke collector who has made his opponents' backs his second home.

The High-Five Block

Last 5 results:

• ❌ Nassourdine Imavov - Unanimous decision (Round 3)
• ✅ Chris Curtis 2 - Split decision (Round 5)
• ✅ Paul Craig - Submission (Rear-Naked Choke, Round 3)
• ✅ Bruno Silva - Submission (Rear-Naked Choke, Round 1)
• ✅ André Muniz - Submission (Rear-Naked Choke, Round 3)

The Origin Story

Forget the cliché of the American collegiate wrestler who discovers the ground game late just to snag a scholarship. Brendan Allen is pure grit. At 13, the kid was bored stiff waiting for his big brother to finish training. To kill time, he threw on a gi. It was love at first sight.

Under the guidance of UFC veteran Alan Belcher, he grinded on the mats until he earned his BJJ black belt. No Sunday-league boxing detours here: Allen is a MMA decathlete who has been programmed to submit humans since his teens. LFA champion in 2018, he punched his ticket to the big leagues at the Contender Series by folding Aaron Jeffery in the first round. His trademark was already stamped.

The neck hunt is on

Since arriving in the UFC, Allen has established himself as the hidden final boss of the 185-pound division. His style? A constant spin cycle. While he might not be the most textbook striker on the roster (his head sometimes stays a bit too centered, which led to a few memorable lights-out moments against Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis), his grappling is terrifyingly fluid.

To level up physically, he left his native Louisiana to exile himself at Kill Cliff FC in Florida. Translation: he spends his daily life with monsters like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman. The result: his cardio has become a weapon of mass destruction, capable of maintaining a suffocating pace for 25 minutes. His electric rivalry with Chris Curtis and his war of attrition against Paul Craig proved that beyond the technique, the guy has the heart of a warrior who never quits.

Useless Trivia

• He holds one of the highest rear-naked choke (RNC) ratios in modern UFC middleweight history. When he takes the back, the ref might as well start his timer.
• He moved to Florida to train at Kill Cliff FC specifically to "eat the heavy hitters" in sparring. His training partners call him "the stalker" because of his constant pressure on the ground.
• Despite his pure grappler profile, he lands nearly 4 significant strikes per minute (3.98). Proof that he knows how to dish out some leather to pave the way to the floor.

The MMX Eye

This fight against Edmen Shahbazyan is a classic trap, but more importantly, it's a goldmine for your picks. Shahbazyan is a Formula 1 car: ultra-dangerous and explosive in the first five minutes, capable of turning anyone's lights out with a single combo. But as soon as the first round passes and the gas tank starts blinking, the Armenian-American prodigy tends to fade, especially against elite grapplers (just ask Derek Brunson).

The key stat to remember? Allen boasts 45% takedown accuracy and a 73% finish rate. The strategy is crystal clear: absorb the storm on the feet during the first round, use the clinch against the cage to tire out Shahbazyan's shoulders, then drag him to the mat in the second. Once he's on Edmen's back, it's a wrap. This is an ultra-safe pick for your card.

Brendan Allen is one choke away from cementing his spot in the world top 3 and calling for his title shot. Do you think he'll win his next fight? Come make your picks and challenge your buddies on MMX.

📋 On the same card: Check out all the profiles for UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim