Christian Leroy Duncan will look to take a big step towards a top-five ranking when he takes on American Brendan Allen at the META Apex on Saturday.
Brendan Allen v Christian Leroy Duncan Preview
Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2-0) faces the biggest test of his career to date against tough American Brendan Allen (27-7-0).
Duncan arrives on a five-fight win streak having beaten Andrey Pulyaev (UD), Eryk Anders (R1, TKO), Marco Tulio (R2, TKO), Roman Dolidze (UD) and Jared Cannonier (UD).
The win streak marks a steady progression for the 31-year-old who has recovered well since a frustrating unanimous decision loss to Gregory Rodrigues on home soil in Manchester in 2024.
Allen has also regained momentum after back-to-back defeats to Nassourdine Imavov (UD) and Anthony Hernandez (UD) put an end to a seven-fight win streak.
Since then the 30-year-old has beaten Marvin Vettori (UD), Reinier de Ridder (R4, TKO) and Edmen Shahbazyan (UD), earning two Fight of the Night bonuses in the process.
Duncan, who is a switch-stance fighter, brings a four-inch reach advantage to the table as well as the cleaner striking statistics.
Allen is a solid all-rounder, but does have a grappling advantage, as well as five-round experience.
With champion Sean Strikland posturing over taking a fight with number one contender Nassourdine Imavov, there is no clear path into title contention for either.
For the number five ranked American, it is a risk to fight back as far as number 10 in the rankings, although a resounding win in this main event would certainly put him on the verge of a title eliminator.
For CLD, after taking out a long-time top-10 staple such as Cannonier last time out, a win over Allen would certainly catapult the promising contender into a big match-up at the top end of the division.
Brendan Allen v Christian Leroy Duncan Tale of the Tape
Brendan Allen | Christian Leroy Duncan | |
Record: | 27-7 | 15-2 |
Age: | 30 | 31 |
Birthplace: | Beaufort, South Carolina, USA | Gloucester, England |
Height: | 6'2" | 6'2" |
Stance: | Orthodox | Switch |
Last Fight: | Win (UD) v Edmen Shahbazyan, June 26 | Win (UD) v Jared Cannonier, July 26 |
KO%: | 22% (of wins) | 67% (of wins) |
Alias: | All In | CLD |
Brendan Allen v Christian Leroy Duncan Top Tip
Bet Builder: Brendan Allen to win and over 2.5 rounds @ 8/5
Expect Duncan to look sharp on the feet early, using kicks to keep Allen at range.
The British fighter will need to keep the game plan simple and resist using too many of the spinning attacks he often implements in his game if he is to keep this fight standing.
However, Allen is likely to eventually start to get a foothold in the fight and find grappling positions one way or another.
In his first main event and five-round UFC booking, expect Duncan to slow down significantly if the American is able to get a hold of him against the fence or on the floor.
Allen is younger and fresher than Cannonier and has the ability and track record of making fights attritional.
This is the 30-year-old’s fourth main event spot, unbeaten in all three against Paul Craig (R3, Sub), Chris Curtis (SD) and Reinier de Ridder (R4, TKO).
Although he may never go to the summit of the division, Allen is likely to have the depth and experience at this stage of their careers to hold off Duncan’s threat.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
