UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. dos Anjos Predictions and Picks

#5 UFC Catchweight fight (195lbs): Brendan Allen vs. Sean Strickland

Brendan Allen is one of the UFC's top prospects at Middleweight.

Another late addition to this card, this fight will actually take place at a 195lbs catchweight rather than 185lbs, where both Allen and Strickland would usually compete. It’s a massively interesting one as Strickland only fought two weeks ago, while Allen was scheduled to fight on last week’s UFC Vegas 13 card, only for opponent Ian Heinisch to test positive for COVID-19.

The fight is also a pretty intriguing clash of styles. Both men are fantastic athletes but have very different approaches to their work in the UFC. Allen, who is 3-0 in the UFC thus far, looks to live up to his nickname All In.

A massively aggressive fighter in all areas, Allen is an explosive striker who fights out of the famed Roufusport camp – the same coaching team that produced the likes of Anthony Pettis and Pat Barry. We saw that striking on display when he sparked out Tom Breese in February, and also in his most recent fight with Kyle Daukaus.

But Allen’s not just a striker. He’s also a highly dangerous grappler who’s always on the hunt for submissions on the ground. He largely outworked Daukaus on the mat, and in his UFC debut, submitted Kevin Holland – a fighter who some are now talking up as a title contender.

The one weakness that All In appears to have would be his wrestling, as Daukaus was able to take him down on a few occasions. However, it’s worth noting that Allen might’ve been happy to go to the ground due to his grappling skill, meaning that a lack of takedown defense isn’t as worrying as it could be.

Strickland, meanwhile, is a much more passive fighter than his opponent this weekend. Tarzan has been with the UFC since 2014 and actually has a highly underrated UFC record. He’s 8-3 overall and has only ever lost to high-end opponents like Kamaru Usman and Santiago Ponzinibbio. He’s also only been stopped once.

However, he’s never truly risen up the UFC rankings because, for the most part, his fighting style is somewhat dull. He tends to use a point-fighting style on the feet, focusing on clean jabs, crosses, and low kicks. And while he’s a capable grappler, he’s more likely to use his wrestling to either stay vertical or to grind an opponent down inside the clinch.

The question here then is whether Allen’s more aggressive style will be enough to either hurt and finish Strickland, or outwork him, or whether Strickland can use that aggression to his own advantage.

Personally, I’m leaning towards the former. Allen looks like the kind of young fighter who’s going to make leaps and bounds in his development every time we see him in the UFC. And to be honest, after six years and numerous injuries, Strickland has probably hit his ceiling at this stage.

It’d be a huge feather in Allen’s cap if he could finish Strickland, but I don’t think we’ll see that. Instead, I think All In can do enough damage on the feet and on the ground to earn a clear-cut unanimous decision.

The Pick: Allen via unanimous decision