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#3 UFC Middleweight Division: Ian Heinisch vs. Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen is one of the UFC's best prospects at 185lbs.

This UFC Middleweight clash was originally set to go down back in June, but an injury to Heinisch put paid to it. Allen instead faced late replacement Kyle Daukaus – who turned out to be much tougher than anyone would’ve imagined – and won by decision.

Heinisch is undoubtedly a trickier test for him. The Hurricane doesn’t exactly have a stunning UFC record – he’s 3-2 – but overall, he’s looked better than that record makes him out to be. A fantastic wrestler, Heinisch was a two-time All-American in college but ended up in trouble with the law and spent time in jail before changing his ways.

It’s that wrestling background that’s made his UFC career thus far a success. Heinisch was able to use his takedowns – and the threat of them – to outwork both Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Junior for upset wins. More recently, he KO’d Gerald Meerschaert with his underrated, heavy-handed striking game.

Heinisch’s losses are also worth looking at, though. Against Derek Brunson, he found himself outworked in largely all areas by a seriously tough veteran – and should have nothing to be ashamed of.

A loss to Omari Akhmedov was more disappointing, though. That fight saw Akhmedov largely outwork Heinisch by pushing a torrid pace and mixing a lot of volume striking in with takedowns. It was a poor loss and essentially hinted at a ceiling in the UFC for The Hurricane.

So is Allen above that ceiling? It’s definitely possible. All In is already 3-0 in the UFC and has looked pretty excellent every time he’s been inside the Octagon. He choked out the currently streaking Kevin Holland, knocked out Tom Breese, and was able to outwork the afore-mentioned Daukaus for a decision.

Allen looks like an explosive striker who hits very hard, and fighting out of the Roufusport camp. He’s clearly technically proficient too. That may give him an advantage against the cruder Heinisch on the feet – so can he fend off the takedowns of a notable wrestler?

It’s questionable, as we saw Daukaus take him down on numerous occasions in their back-and-forth clash. However, it’s worth noting that Allen is a genuinely excellent grappler too, with more submissions on his ledger than knockouts – including his rear-naked choke tapout of Holland.

For me, as long as he can avoid the explosive attack that Heinisch is likely to bring early on, this is Allen’s fight to lose. I believe All In can go to the top of the UFC Middleweight division, and I’m not sure that Heinisch is the man to stop his run just yet.

The Pick: Allen via unanimous decision