Tension crackled in the air as Brendan Allen and Paul Craig met face-to-face for the first and only time before their UFC Vegas 82 main event on Saturday. Following their successful weigh-ins on Friday at the UFC Apex facility, the identical venue hosting the Fight Night card, Allen and Craig engaged in a measured and intense staredown.
'BearJew,' adorned in the traditional face paint of his native Scotland, exuded intensity as he faced Allen. Meanwhile, 'All In' sported his signature Tymak hat, maintaining a composed and collected demeanor.
Check out the video below:
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Fans swiftly conveyed their excitement for the upcoming bout between Brendan Allen and Paul Craig, expressing a variety of reactions following their face-off.
One fan wrote:
"This is going to be one sided."
Another wrote:
"Arrr, ye be talkin' about a battle o' mighty middleweights! Get ready to witness heart-stoppin' action on the high seas of the Octagon."
Check out some more reactions below:
"Buckle up, it's gonna be a wild ride! 🥊"
"the liverking and braveheart look different."
"They got beef already."
Brendan Allen has secured a five-fight winning streak, clinching four victories via submission. The 27-year-old American's latest achievement was a first-round submission win against Bruno Silva in June.
In contrast, Paul Craig bounced back from consecutive losses against Volkan Oezdemir and Johnny Walker by securing a second-round technical knockout victory over Andre Muniz at UFC London in July, marking his middleweight debut.
Brendan Allen critiques Khamzat Chimaev's position in UFC middleweight rankings
Brendan Allen is puzzled by Khamzat Chimaev's high ranking in the middleweight division.
Chimaev is currently No.8-ranked in the UFC rankings and triumphed over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a middleweight bout at UFC 294 last month. Despite being labeled as a No.1 contender fight, a hand injury prevented 'Borz' from contending for the title.
During the pre-fight interview, Allen attributed Chimaev's seemingly undeserved ranking to the media:
"It wasn’t a middleweight fight. They weighed in at '85, but they're both 170s. I don’t know how you rank – I don't know if anyone here's on the panel, but if you do, I don’t like you. I’m just going to be honest. It’s bullsh*t. This guy hasn’t beat an ’85er. He hasn’t beat an '85er, especially a ranked '85er. He beat the No. 1 170 guy. Cool, congratulations. I think everyone can agree a five-round fight, Kamaru wins, and that was off the couch. Keep him at '70 and rank him No. 1, Ok do that. This is a different thing."
Check out Allen's comments below: