TLDR
- Brendan Allen defeated Edmen Shahbazyan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Vegas 118
- The fight earned Fight of the Night honors after a high-paced three-round battle
- Allen extended his winning streak to three and improved his UFC record to 15-4
- Allen called for a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who defeated him in 2020
- Allen remains ranked #4 in the middleweight division and is open to fighting Nassourdine Imavov or the Usman-Du Plessis winner
Sources: Cageside Press | VPESPORTS UFC | GIDStats | VPESPORTS UFC | GIDStats
Brendan Allen defeated Edmen Shahbazyan by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 118 on Saturday night, then used his post-fight interview to demand a rematch with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
Judges scored the co-main event 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in Allen’s favor at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The three-round battle earned both fighters Fight of the Night bonuses.
Allen’s Dominant Performance
Allen controlled the fight with pressure, clinch work, and grappling exchanges that neutralized Shahbazyan’s striking for most of the contest. The victory extended Allen’s winning streak to three fights and improved his UFC record to 15-4.
“Sometimes you gotta just be a dog and walk him down,” Allen said after the fight. “That’s what I did, I walked him down, walked him down.”
That makes it 3 consecutive wins for @BrendanAllenMMA 😎
He gets the UD win after a hard-fought 15 minutes!
[ #UFCVegas118 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/NCMa70iEKu
— UFC (@ufc) June 7, 2026
Allen compared his performance against Shahbazyan to how Strickland fought the same opponent. “Sean won off of staying on his back foot and throwing a jab, but I’m going to give you some power shots, make it dirty,” he said.
Despite the dominant win, Allen praised his opponent for the challenge. “He pushed me, he made me find a new version of myself,” Allen said of Shahbazyan. “He motivated me, so hats off to Edmen.”
Title Shot Ambitions
Allen, currently ranked #4 in the middleweight division, immediately called out Strickland for a rematch. Strickland defeated Allen by TKO in November 2020, but Allen believes the outcome should have been different.
“I hope Sean goes out, he’s the champion, so hopefully he picks me,” Allen said. “Let’s run this sh*t back. It’s been six years since we fought, I think I was beating him going into it.”
Allen disputed the stoppage from their first fight, claiming replays from different angles show Strickland didn’t land clean strikes. “If you watch our fight at different angles, you could tell he didn’t hit me with the strikes,” he said. “It wasn’t there.”
The middleweight contender believes he would finish Strickland in a rematch. “I think I get him out of there now,” Allen said. “I think Edmen’s a better version of him. He’s younger, he’s more technical, he’s faster.”
If a title shot doesn’t materialize, Allen outlined backup options. He’s open to fighting Nassourdine Imavov, who previously defeated him, or the winner of the upcoming Dricus Du Plessis versus Kamaru Usman fight.
“I don’t think I deserve anything. I try to earn everything I get,” Allen said while making his case for a title opportunity. “I guess I’m not the most likable guy, and I don’t got the most followers or none of that, but I can f*cking fight.”
Allen emphasized his resume in the UFC, pointing to his 15-4 record in the promotion and the quality of opponents he’s faced. “I’m 15-4 in this promotion, I’ve fought the best guys I can fight,” he said.
The fighter acknowledged taking a risk by accepting the bout against the unranked Shahbazyan while sitting at #4 in the division. “He was young, he’s motivated as f*ck, he’s a very skilled guy, and he earned his shot,” Allen said.
Allen said he plans to get injuries checked before discussing his next fight with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell.
