Brendan Allen says Du Plessis was set

Brendan Allen says he believed his long-awaited fight with Dricus Du Plessis had been agreed before plans changed and Du Plessis instead faced Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City. Speaking on the JAXXON podcast, Allen described the development as particularly frustrating because he says he had received repeated assurances that the matchup was ready to move forward. Allen has called for the Du Plessis fight for some time, and his comments place the focus on what he believes was a missed opportunity rather than on a newly confirmed booking.

Allen was careful to frame the issue as his own view of the situation. He said he generally dislikes using the term “ducking” and had not applied it to another fighter across more than 40 fights, but he believes Du Plessis avoided him in this case. Allen said the proposed fight was supposed to happen in January and that he was told the arrangement was complete. In his account, that message continued until the middle to end of February, when the situation became uncertain and the Du Plessis-Usman fight was subsequently announced. That timeline is central to Allen’s complaint: he is not simply asking for the matchup now, but saying he had been led to expect it earlier.

Allen details why the change rankled

Brendan Allen said Du Plessis appeared to accept a different assignment after previously agreeing to fight him. Allen characterized the Usman matchup as an easier fight from Du Plessis’ perspective, pointing to his view that Usman was older, had absorbed significant wear, was moving up a weight class and was not as hungry. Those are Allen’s opinions, not independently established facts in the supplied report, but they explain the competitive argument behind his criticism. Allen’s position is that Du Plessis selected established names late in their careers instead of facing younger opponents whom Allen considers more motivated.

The report also makes clear that Brendan Allen sees a practical path to the fight after Du Plessis defeated Usman. Allen said he has tried to face Du Plessis since Du Plessis entered the UFC and believes their meeting now makes the most sense as a title eliminator. No bout between them was confirmed in the supplied material, so Allen’s preferred next step remains a callout rather than an announced UFC decision. Still, his remarks establish the stakes as he sees them: a chance to turn a prolonged pursuit into a matchup that could separate two contenders. The distinction matters because Allen is presenting a case for a fight, not reporting that it has been made.

Brendan Allen brings current momentum

Brendan Allen enters this discussion with a 27-7 professional record and a three-fight winning streak, according to the report. His most recent win was a decision over Edmen Shahbazyan. The same streak also includes a TKO victory over Reinier de Ridder and a decision victory over Marvin Vettori. That documented run gives context to why Allen is pressing for a larger opportunity and why he regards the Du Plessis matchup as logical. It does not establish that the fight will happen, nor does it settle Allen’s accusation, but it shows that his callout follows consecutive wins rather than a single result. Allen’s message is consistent throughout: he believes he was previously in line to face Du Plessis and wants the contest revisited following the Usman fight.

• Brendan Allen says he was told the Du Plessis fight was set for January and remained in place through the middle to end of February.
• Brendan Allen says he now wants Du Plessis next and views the matchup as a potential title eliminator, though no fight was confirmed in the report.

Brendan Allen’s criticism of Du Plessis rests on his account of a fight that he says had already been arranged in principle. With a three-fight winning streak behind him, Allen is using the moment after Du Plessis’ win over Usman to renew his push for the matchup. For now, the material confirms Allen’s public stance and the chronology he described, not an official agreement for what comes next.

Sources: BJPenn