Another week, another UFC Fight Night. Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis headlines this week's card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as UFC prepares for a milestone PPV next Saturday.
Allen (23-5) is trying to push frustration out of his mind this week. He's on fire right now, riding a six-fight winning streak with five stoppages. Unfortunately, the middleweight contender can't find an opponent to propel him towards a title shot. Marvin Vettori was supposed to be Allen's launching pad, but the Italian fighter withdrew for undisclosed reasons. As a consequence, Allen again finds himself fighting backwards in the UFC's official middleweight rankings. Allen finds new motivation in fighting the last person to defeat him.
"It's a tough mental thing to get over," Allen told CBS Sports about the Vettori cancellation. "But I try to keep it out of my mind and not even focus on it."
"It means something to my ego," Allen said about fighting Curtis again. "Re-writing a wrong. I just got caught. I know he knows it. I know I know it. Therefore, I know he's going to come in and try to put a stamp on it this time. I'm coming to show that it was a fluke, period. I know I need to be 100% focused and do me."
It didn't take much to convince Curtis (31-10) to agree to fight on three weeks' notice. Curtis is admittedly happiest when a fight is on the horizon. A pay bonus to accommodate the short booking was all he needed to sign the dotted line. Curtis knocked out Allen in seven minutes back in 2021. What psychological edge that gives him is negated by recent performances. Curtis was on an eight-fight winning streak in June 2022. A loss to Jack Hermansson started an uneven 2-2 stretch with one no-contest.
"That killed all the momentum I built. That was frustrating," Curtis told CBS Sports. "You try to rebuild and do things but now you have a bad taste [in your] mouth. You're not supposed to but you start listening to all the f---ing people in the peanut gallery chirping. You have people who've never stepped foot in the cage before or have two amateur fights telling you what you did wrong or what you can't do. It never bothered me before but now we're at a stage where thousands of people are watching you. Now you get it from thousands of different directions. That wears on you."
Check out the full interview with Chris Curtis below.
This might be the most skippable UFC Fight Night so far this year. It's not the promotion's fault that Vettori vs. Allen fell through, but nothing substantial is in place to support it. Alexander Hernandez -- who has yet to match the buzz of his 2018 debut against Beneil Dariush -- and opponent Damon Jackson are the most notable names on the card. Ignacio Bahamondes has an awe-worthy spinning wheel kick KO on his record and is usually a fun watch. Undefeated heavyweight Valter Walker (11-0), the brother of light heavyweight veteran Johnny Walker, makes his UFC debut on Saturday.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Brendan Allen -205 | Chris Curtis +170 | Middleweight |
| Alexander Hernandez -205 | Damon Jackson +170 | Featherweight |
| Morgan Charriere -115 | Chepe Mariscal -105 | Featherweight |
| Ignacio Bahamondes -340 | Christos Giagos +265 | Lightweight |
| Valter Walker - 240 | Lukasz Brzeski +200 | Heavyweight |
| Charlie Campbell -175 | Trevor Peek +150 | Lightweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: April 6 | Start time: 6 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis: Curtis is a difficult stylistic matchup for Allen. Allen is a trial-by-fire fighter who bites down on the mouthpiece and overwhelms opponents. He must be wary of Curtis' superior striking technique and lateral movement. Allen has finished 61% of his fights by submission with five rear-naked chokes in his last six fights. He'll want to get Curtis to the ground by hell or high water. That's easier said than done with Curtis' 92% takedown defense. Both men have five-round experience outside the UFC but have yet to exceed 15 minutes in the Octagon. Curtis has the tools necessary to beat Allen on paper, but something tells me they're trending in different directions. "All In" will control Curtis against the fence and capitalize on mistakes. Give me Allen over the long haul. Allen via UD
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