Before the big UFC 300 event lies a card featuring Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis. It’s a nice little rematch from the bout three years ago, where Curtis won via knockout. The fight headlines a stacked card on April 6 at UFC Apex, showcasing the promotion’s under-the-radar fighters.
It seems destiny might have plans for Allen. The middleweight had his opponent, Curtis, step in for Martin Vettori. Vettori suffered an injury, forcing him to pull out. Maybe the second time’s the charm?
Allen hopes to go “All In”, as his nickname implies, to exact revenge. After all, such a concept is best served cold. But will “Action-Man” fall at the hands of Allen or does he get the upper hand for the second time?
The tape on Brendan Allen
Brendan Allen isn’t your typical middleweight fighter. The orthodox fighter (23-5) has a solid pedigree of submitting opponents, getting 14 tap-outs in his career. There’s also his cool hat that he wears, which is pretty slick. Allen’s team is Kill Cliff, a fight club based in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
To exact his revenge, Allen can’t run out of gas. That’s the problem he had with Sean Strickland, who let “All In” do all the work. As a result, the Louisiana native got manhandled and lost the fight. Between Curtis knocking him out in the second round in the last match and the Strickland fight, there must be a balance.
The tape on Chris Curtis
Chris Curtis (30-10, 17 KOs) loves to fight. How much? He loves it more than sex itself. “Action-Man” is the type of fighter that is a pure striker, landing 5.96 significant strikes a minute. The former Tuesday Night Contender fighter never goes to the ground, opting to strike his foes into oblivion.
Curtis is also strong on defending takedowns, making him a tough matchup for Allen. If the Las Vegas native doesn’t get on the ground and uses his boxing background to his advantage, he’ll win.
The verdict
Although Brendan Allen is favored in this match-up (-5.5), I still get a sense Curtis will get the upper hand. “All In” doesn’t have the necessary stamina to keep up, which can be a problem.
However, there’s a pathway for the Louisiana middleweight to win. If he can take “Action-Man’s” strikes and dodge, there won’t be any issues. However, he must figure out how to get past Curtis’s excellent takedown defense, resorting to wear down his adversary.
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Jacob Walters is a boxing/MMA writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @IceColdWJacob
