Allen ‘expected to win’ rematch against Curtis

Updated 03/04/2024 at 14:15 GMT

Brendan Allen is feeling the pressure ahead of his rematch with Chris Curtis and believes everything is on the line for him in a bout he is “expected to win”. The pair will reunite in the Octagon on Saturday in Las Vegas, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, three years after Curtis stunned Allen with a second-round knockout. “I had everything to lose,” he said. “Now we have the exact same thing.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 18: Brendan Allen reacts after his victory over Paul Craig of Scotland in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on November 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty I

Image credit: Eurosport

Brendan Allen is feeling the onus to get the job done against Chris Curtis at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, in a bout where he has “everything to lose”.

The 28-year-old will headline the Las Vegas event in a middleweight rematch with Curtis, three years after he suffered a disappointing second round defeat in December 2021.

Allen feels he is much better prepared this time around after taking the previous fight on short notice, but nevertheless, is feeling the pressure in the lead-up to the event.

“I know Chris, I was in there with Chris and I think I was winning the fight until I wasn’t,” Allen told TNT Sports. “That was on a week’s notice, he caught me and won that one. But we got a little bit more time this time, I think three or four weeks.

“It’s crazy because a lot of things are similar. I was above him in the rankings and had everything to lose, he had nothing to lose. Now we have the exact same thing. He has nothing to lose and am expected to go and beat him.

“It’s his first main event he gets to step in on, is on the poster. There are a lot of good things for him, he has nothing to lose and there is no pressure. I have pressure.

“But I know how to deal with it. There is nothing coming this week or Saturday night that I haven’t felt before, that I haven’t been around. That’s what I keep holding to myself.

“I know the good self-talk I need to have with myself. Overall, I’m very prepared and very ready. Everything’s good. I have nothing to say, it’s going to be what it’s going to be and I’m excited to go out there and test myself with him. I trust in my preparation, my team and I’m very confident in myself.”

Allen said he has “a lot of respect” for Curtis, but in the days leading up to the fight he “won’t be as friendly” towards his compatriot.

“I’ll still shake his hand, I still have a lot of respect for him,” Allen explained. “But I need to do what I need to do to prepare for Saturday night.

“My thought process is ‘I fight’. That’s what I do, I fight. The UFC wanted a fight and that’s what I’m here to do.

“I always show up. You can’t win the war if you don’t make it to the war, so no matter what, I’m going to show up and give the fans what they come to see and I know Chris will do the same thing.

“We’ll see how this one runs back.”

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