Brendan Allen Says January Du Plessis Fight Fell Through Before Shahbazyan
brendan allen says the fight he expected with Dricus du Plessis never materialized, and he has moved on to Edmen Shahbazyan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 118 this Saturday in Las Vegas. Allen says the du Plessis bout was supposed to be a done deal in January, but instead he is taking on a fighter on a three-fight win streak.
Allen’s January plan
Allen said the original matchup with du Plessis was supposed to be settled months ago. He said, “It was supposed to be a done deal in January.” He also said he was told the bout would land around May or at the end of April, then later heard du Plessis would not fight until July.
That shift left Allen chasing different options. After he said du Plessis was hurt, he asked to face Kamaru Usman. That did not happen, and Allen said he got tired of waiting.
Shahbazyan steps in
Instead, Shahbazyan gets the call. Allen said he took the matchup because he needed the money and because Shahbazyan was the next fighter in line who did not have a bout. Allen described it bluntly: “I got sick of waiting, sick of waiting, needed the money, and I took the guy who was on a win streak and didn’t have a fight.”
Shahbazyan enters Saturday’s bout after a stoppage win over Andre Muniz at UFC 320 in October. He had been slated to face Jun Yong Park in April before a Park injury scratched that contest, leaving him available when Allen needed an opponent.
Allen’s stop-and-start road
The delay has stretched back further than January. Allen said he was supposed to fight in March, then April, then May. He also said he called for the du Plessis matchup after stopping Reinier de Ridder at UFC Vancouver in October, then waited through a timetable that kept moving.
Allen did not hide his frustration with how the process went. He said, “I kind of think I was a little bit finessed, to be honest with you, and I don’t know by who.” He also said, “Because he’s a bitch,” when explaining why the du Plessis fight was not made.
The pairing gives Allen a co-main-event spot against an unranked opponent who has won three straight, a sharp change from the title-level path he said he expected in January. For Allen, Saturday is less about the name he wanted and more about finally getting back in the cage after months of waiting.
