Brendan Allen Calls Out Dricus du Plessis After UFC Submission Win

Brendan Allen called out Dricus du Plessis after submitting Christian Leroy Duncan in the fifth round of the UFC Vegas 122 main event. The American secured a rear-naked choke at Meta APEX on Saturday, 10 October, with the finish coming on Sunday morning for South African viewers.

The result changes the conversation around Dricus’s next opponent. Duncan had spoken about facing the former middleweight champion before the event. Allen has now beaten him and used the post-fight spotlight to press his own case for that opportunity.

Allen Turns the Duncan Story Around

Our earlier coverage of Duncan’s interest in Dricus centred on the Englishman needing to get past Allen first. That hurdle proved decisive: Duncan’s five-fight winning run ended, while Allen extended his own sequence to four victories.

The UFC’s official recap records the fifth-round submission and Allen’s request for either a title shot or a meeting with Du Plessis. It also describes a demanding contest against an opponent who forced him to work for the finish.

There is useful evidence in the way Allen won. He was still able to secure the back and complete a submission late in a long fight. For anyone assessing a possible Dricus matchup, that is a reason to examine the grappling exchanges closely, including what happens when both fighters are tired.

Why Allen Wants Dricus du Plessis

Allen made his frustration clear at the post-fight press conference. “It’s just all talk from his side all the time,” he said, according to MMA Fighting’s report of the callout.

He pointed to their previous disagreements and claimed the pair had been expected to fight before. Allen also said he would consider other options if the matchup failed to materialise. His comments put his preferred opponent on record; they do not establish that negotiations have produced an agreement.

From a matchmaking perspective, the appeal is easy to understand. Allen would get a chance to strengthen his title claim against a former champion. Dricus would face a contender arriving with fresh momentum. Both would have something substantial to gain, even without a belt being on the line.

Dricus Brings a Different Test

Du Plessis has already returned to winning ways since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev. He beat Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in Oklahoma City on 18 July, giving him a five-round victory to build on as he pursues another championship opportunity.

That creates two different recent reference points. Allen has just finished an opponent late; Dricus has recently completed a successful five-round assignment. Neither result provides a direct answer to how they would fare against each other, but both give analysts more to work with than the callout alone.

Our reading is that the central contest would be over control of the exchanges. Allen would want opportunities to secure position and attack a submission. Dricus’s task would be to make those entries costly, keep his balance through the clinch and create space to land his own offence.

The interesting question is how often Allen could reach an attacking position without absorbing too much damage getting there. For readers comparing the different ways that contest could be priced, our MMA betting guide explains winner, method-of-victory and round markets.

The Betting Read

A possible Allen–Du Plessis fight is worth analysing before any price is attached to it. Our starting point would be the route each fighter needs to win: how Allen establishes control, how Dricus disrupts it and which man can maintain effective offence as the exchanges accumulate.

Allen’s latest submission should sharpen attention on his finishing threat. It should also prompt a closer look at the positions preceding the choke. An opponent who spends time defending his neck gives Allen a very different contest from one who breaks the clinch and makes him restart the takedown sequence.

The scheduled distance would be another major factor if the bout were made. A three-round fight offers 15 minutes of action; a five-round main event offers 25. Allen’s finish against Duncan came in a round that would not exist in a standard three-round contest, so the format would matter when assessing both a winner and a potential method.

Dricus’s South African following will naturally make this a compelling discussion locally. When prices eventually become available for any confirmed fight, the useful comparison is between the quoted odds and your assessment of the matchup. Our sports betting guide explains how decimal odds translate into implied probability and potential returns.

The Next Step Is a UFC Decision

Allen has supplied the win and named the opponent he wants. The next meaningful development would be a UFC announcement, or a clear response from Du Plessis that advances the discussion. There is no confirmed date or venue for this proposed meeting in the reporting available at publication.

For now, South African fans have a more concrete sporting reason to consider Allen as a possible next opponent. He has come through the fight that shaped our earlier Duncan preview, and his late submission gives the potential matchup a clear technical point of interest. Whether the UFC chooses that route remains the unanswered question.

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