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Allen scored a third-round submission over 11th-ranked middleweight Andre Muniz in Saturday’s main event.
LAS VEGAS – In a battle of rising middleweight contenders, Brendan Allen came out on top, scoring a stunning decision victory over struggling Andre Muniz.
The bout, which took place at the UFC Apex, was elevated to the main event of UFC Fight Night 220 when a planned headline between Ryan Spann and Nikta Krylov was pulled off just one hour before the fighters were set to walk to the cage. Krylov’s illness forced the late change.
Allen and Muniz engaged in a great battle to open their three-round contest, and each had moments of success. Allen’s best strikes included a straight right hand, while Muniz capitalized with a spinning kick to the body, as well as a couple of crisp hooks, which left the judges split on the winner of the first frame.
The two continued to trade on the feet in the second, with Allen controlling the center but being forced to respect his opponent’s power shots in response. Muniz was quicker to fight in the frame, but as he drove the action to the canvas, Allen countered with a well-timed sweep and ended up in dominant position. While Muniz is known for his incredible striking skills, Allen kept the pressure high from the top and held the top spot without much of a threat.
Muniz was aggressive to start the third, landing several powerful hooks when his opponent was in range. Allen tried his best to fire back before being surprised and his own effort with two minutes remaining. From there, he deftly moved to his back and threatened with a back-exposed choke. Muniz tried his best to battle the hands but eventually had to tap out with just 45 seconds left.
“I knew he was going to try to put me down, so I was trying to stuff him to show my good stuff and change him when he took me down,” said Allen. “The coach told me going into the second round, ‘He has nothing for you on the ground. I told you. I told you. I told you.'”
As a result, the unranked Allen has an impressive four-fight win streak (21-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC). Muniz (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who entered the contest ranked No.
Full UFC Fight Night 220 results include:
Main Card (ESPN+)
- Brendan Allen def. Andre Muniz by submission (exposed back tack) – Round 3, 4:25
- Augusto Sakai def. Don’Tale Mayes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tatiana Suarez def. Montana De La Rosa by submission (guillotine tackle) – Round 2, 2:51
- Mike Malott def. Yohan Lainesse by submission (arm-triangle task) – Round 1, 4:15
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
- Trevor Peek def. Erick Gonzalez by knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Gabriella Fernandes via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Jordan Leavitt def. Victor Martinez via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 2:33
- Ode Osbourne def. Charles Johnson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Joe Solecki def. Carl Deaton via technical submission (exposed back tack) – Round 2, 4:55
- Nurullo Aliev def. Rafael Alves by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
