Brendan Allen isn't holding back as UFC 328 approaches, and he has plenty to say about Sean Strickland ahead of Strickland's upcoming middleweight title fight against Khamzat Chimaev.
The tension between these two fighters dates back to November 2020, when Strickland scored a knockout win over Allen. That victory has aged impressively well, propelling Strickland to a championship opportunity in 2023 that he seized with both hands. Now, as Strickland prepares for his third world title bout—this time against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in Newark—Allen is speaking out about his former opponent's behavior.
Allen, currently ranked fourth in the UFC middleweight division, has been training alongside Chimaev's team ahead of Saturday's event. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, he didn't mince words about Strickland's approach to trash talk and fight promotion.
"He's always talking about dudes getting f—ed and stuff, it's weird," Allen said. "Everyone talks about him catching me and TKOing me what was it? Six years ago or whatever? Like, I was 24, I'm 30 now. Let's see how it goes now? I think he got lucky that night, I made a stupid error and he got it, it is what it is. It happened but I still think nine times out of ten I beat him there but that's how the game works, we don't get nine times, we get one night and he got it, it is what it is."
Allen remains interested in a rematch with Strickland, but for now, he's focused on the main event. According to Allen, Team Chimaev has been laughing off Strickland's threats of violence during fight week. "He just sounds r—––. Like, 'alright bro, y'all are going to fight on Saturday let's see if you're talking all that s— then,'" Allen added.
He also took aim at Strickland's training camp behavior, suggesting that the former champion's bravado doesn't hold up when the cameras aren't rolling. "Because you weren't talking that s— when y'all trained. You were shouting across the room at Eric [Nicksick] saying how he's a bad coach for putting you with him. But we don't want to talk about that do we? We don't want to talk about guys that watched the sparring and training saying that you got tapped out or made to quit or whatever."
With UFC 328 just days away, the middleweight division is buzzing with anticipation. Whether Strickland can silence his critics once again or Chimaev continues his dominant rise remains to be seen—but one thing is certain: this grudge match has all the makings of a classic.