Brendan Allen Secures Late Submission Over Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 122, Sets Sights on Former Champion

At UFC Vegas 122, Brendan Allen continued to prove himself as a formidable middleweight contender. On Saturday night inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Allen clinched victory over the red-hot Christian Leroy Duncan by submitting him with a rear-naked choke at 2:46 of the fifth round. Despite starting slowly, Allen leaned heavily on his wrestling skills to control the fight and secure the win.

This victory extended Allen's UFC record to 28-7, marking his fourth straight UFC win.

"I'm steady, defending my spot, doing what I need to do," Allen said after the fight. "The bosses see me doing that thing, and I think we'll be rewarded next. Fight the champion, and if not, where’s [Dricus du Plessis]? He’s been running for a little while."

Fight Breakdown

Allen, 30, aimed to take Duncan down from the opening bell. The English fighter, who had won five fights in a row before this bout, defended well early and landed heavy strikes. Allen stuck to his plan, dominating much of the second and third rounds on the ground.

Duncan faced a setback when referee Marc Goddard docked him a point for illegal eye pokes during the second round. Even so, Duncan fought back fiercely in the fourth, outlanding Allen 46 to 17 in significant strikes, shaking Allen who complained about rib pain between rounds.

Nevertheless, Allen returned in the final round with renewed determination, relying on his wrestling to finish the fight with a submission.

With wins over top fighters like Marvin Vettori, Reinier de Ridder, Edmen Shahbazyan, and now Duncan, Allen appears ready for a higher-ranked opponent next.

"He’s tougher than I thought, but I got the job done," Allen said. "I come here to fight, man. I’ve been super active. I fought these young guys, two hungry prospects back-to-back, because nobody else wanted to fight. And yeah, they’re tough."

UFC Vegas 122 Results and Highlights

Main Card

• Middleweight: Brendan Allen def. Christian Leroy Duncan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:46 of Round 5
• Lightweight: Jai Herbert def. Matheus Camilo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• 117-pound catchweight: Loopy Godínez def. Ketlen Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Featherweight: Andre Fili def. Kai Kamaka III via KO (head kick) at 0:22 of Round 2
• Bantamweight: Otari Tanzilovi def. Malcolm Wellmaker via KO (head kick and punches) at 2:39 of Round 2

Preliminary Card

• Light Heavyweight: Julius Walker def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) at 3:35 of Round 2; Meerschaert retires
• 163.5-pound catchweight: Francisco Prado def. Ismael Bonfim via TKO (punches) at 4:23 of Round 1
• Welterweight: Niko Price def. Leon Shahbazyan via TKO (punch and knee) at 1:58 of Round 1; Price announces retirement
• 208.5-pound catchweight: Brendson Ribeiro def. Felipe Franco via submission (mounted guillotine) at 1:49 of Round 1
• Heavyweight: Allen Frye def. RJ Harris via KO (punches) at 2:59 of Round 1
• Women’s Bantamweight: Alice Pereira def. Daria Zhelezniakova via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
• Women’s Flyweight: Melissa Gatto vs. Ernesta Kareckaite ends in majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)