Brendan Allen pulled off a slick finish late in the main event of UFC Fight Night 290, and now wants a piece of a former champion.
Allen (28-7 MMA, 16-4 UFC) took Christian Leroy Duncan into deep waters at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and pulled off a late submission win to close the show with an exclamation point. Duncan (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) found himself trapped in Allen's bread-and-butter rear-naked choke, and was forced to tap at 2:46 in Round 5.
There was no feel-out process to start this one as the two middleweights got right into the action with stiff striking exchanges. Duncan slowed things down by landing short strikes in the clinch against the cage. Allen managed to score a nice trip takedown, but couldn't make much of it before Duncan worked
his way up and regained control in the clinch. Duncan separated and started to let his hands go, including his signature spinning elbow.
Just as the action got going in Round 2, an eye poke from Duncan paused the fight. Referee Marc Goddard took a point for the foul, and the fight resumed. Duncan then turned up his offensive volume to make up for the deduction, but soon found himself on the mat after a takedown, with Allen on top working through various submission attempts.
A wild takedown sequence unfolded in the opening moments of Round 3, with Allen scrambling to top position in full guard. After giving up control time and defending some ground and pound, Duncan was able to explode out to reverse position and get off some offense of his own.
Allen opted to stand and trade with Duncan in Round 4, and was successful in marching forward. Duncan quickly circled away from the fence to avoid the pressure, and landed plenty of strikes on the outside. However, Allen's pressure never let him get too comfortable.
With the fight seemingly hanging on the result of the final five minutes, Duncan came out aggressively with an array of strikes, until Allen slowed things down with a level change. Allen ended up dragging Duncan to the mat while working for back control.
It was a brilliant move, and in a blink, Allen secured full back control as he slapped on a rear-naked choke. It went deep instantly, and Duncan's panic was clear. Duncan tried his best to get out, but he was trapped and tapped before going out.
BRENDAN ALLEN GOES ALL OUT FOR THE SUBMISSION 😤
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 11, 2026
[ #UFCVegas122 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/xNOClDmg1o
During his post-fight interview, Allen made his case for a title shot, and if that isn't in the cards, he named former champion Dricus Du Plessis as his next opponent.
"I think we'll be rewarded next," Allen told Michael Bisping. "Where's the champion? If not, where's 'Dickus'? He's been running for a while. If not, Mike, put your belt back up."
Always willing to fight everyone 👊
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 11, 2026
[ #UFCVegas122 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/eZ8ExqKJIG
Allen is now on a four-fight winning streak, which includes wins over Marvin Vettori, Reinier de Ridder, and Edmen Shahbazyan. On the other side, Duncan sees a five-fight winning streak come to an end in his first main event opportunity.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 290 results:
- Brendan Allen def. Christian Leroy Duncan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 5, 2:46
- Jai Herbert def. Matheus Camilo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loopy Godinez def. Ketlen Souza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andre Fili def. Kai Kamaka III via knockout (head kick) - Round 2, 0:22
- Otari Tanzilovi def. Malcolm Wellmaker via knockout (head kick) – Round 2, 2:39
- Julius Walker def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:35
- Francisco Prado def. Ismael Bonfim via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:32
- Niko Price def. Leon Shahbazyan via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:58
- Brendson Ribeiro def. Felipe Franco via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 1:49
- Allen Frye Jr. def. RJ Harris via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:59
- Alice Pereira def. Daria Zhelezniakova via TKO (retirement) – Round 1, 5:00
- Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Melissa Gatto ends in majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 122 results: Brendan Allen forces late tap, calls out former champ
