Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis squared off in a Middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., April 6, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 90. Following a competitive five-round fight, Allen earned the nod.
Allen opened the fight aggressively, punting Curtis in the mid-section and blasting him with a good right hand. Early in the round, Allen slipped a punch and took Curtis down, immediately taking his back. That’s Allen’s best position, but Curtis was able to escape pretty quickly back to his feet.
Back in the center, Allen was still the sharper man. He was picking his shots really well, sneaking punches through the guard and finding powerful kicks. On a couple occasions, Curtis was able to extend the exchange and find his own punches, but those moments were few and far between.
Curtis cut off the cage early in the second, forcing Allen into the fence early and landing a heavy right hook. Allen continued to fire straight punches, but Curtis was reading them more effectively and able to roll. As “Action Man” began to pick up momentum, Allen stunned him with a good shot and followed up with a good combination. Curtis began to target the body and legs more often to good effect, though Allen’s counter shots were definitely landing too.
It was a better round for Curtis, but both men were in the fight.
Allen started the third strong, mixing up his attack with knees and elbows. After a brief pause from an Allen eye poke, the two went back to trading. Curtis stung Allen with a heavy left hand that wobbled the knees, but Allen reacted smartly with a well-timed and badly needed takedown. Once again, he jumped the back mount, and this time, he was able to hold position until nearly the end of the round.
The striking was really competitive in the fourth. Curtis didn’t manage to stun Allen, but he did land the cleanest shots. At the same time, Allen found solid lands of his own, particularly with his kicks and elbows. Really, it was a pair of takedowns from Allen that shifted the momentum into his corner, though he wasn’t able to accomplish too much once on the floor.
The fifth and final frame started chaotically, as Curtis countered an Allen takedown with a clean knee. Allen walked through it and kept wrestling, but Curtis managed to scramble to his feet. Allen suddenly started looking very desperate to wrestle, and Curtis was able to shuck him off repeatedly. Both were exhausted with a couple minutes remaining. Allen finally managed another takedown with about a minute remaining, but Curtis reversed him with just 30 seconds left. Allen regained his feet and finished the round with a flying knee, stunning his foe in the final seconds.
In that final exchange, Curtis seemingly suffered some kind of knee injury. He wobbled to the middle of the cage, where Allen was named the victor via split-decision. It was a really competitive fight, but the right man had his hand raised.
Who should Brendan Allen face next?
Result: Allen defeats Curtis via split-decision
For complete UFC Vegas 90: “Allen vs. Curtis 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!