Middleweight contender Brendan Allen pulled off a late finish in Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event against Christian Leroy Duncan.
Allen submitted Duncan with a rear-naked choke at the 2:46 mark of the fifth round at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Allen was ahead 38-37 on all three judges' scorecards entering the fifth round, meaning he needed to at least win the round to avoid a draw. Referee Marc Goddard deducted a point from Duncan in the second frame for poking Allen in the eye.
"He's tougher than I thought," Allen said of Duncan in his postfight interview. "But I knew deeper waters - I just started, I couldn't get out of the fog. Just felt a little slow tonight. But it happens. We still got through it and got the job done."
Allen, ranked No. 4 in the 185-pound division, is now riding a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Duncan, Edmen Shahbazyan, Reinier de Ridder, and Marvin Vettori.
Allen said he wants to face former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis if he doesn't get a title shot.
"Where's the champion? If not, where's Dricus?" Allen said. "You've been running for a little while."
Allen and Duncan got off to a quick start in the main event, trading punches in the opening moments before Allen took the fight to the mat. Duncan got back up to his feet and landed a series of elbows late in the round to win it on all three judges' scorecards.
Allen responded with a dominant second round, suffocating Duncan with his grappling. Allen continued to smother Duncan on the ground in the third. However, Duncan wound up on top of Allen in the final minute and landed a few ground-and-pound shots to regain the momentum of the fight.
Allen surprisingly didn't attempt a takedown in the fourth round, instead choosing to strike with his opponent. Duncan landed at a higher clip to edge out the round.
Then, in the fifth, Allen got on top of Duncan and locked in a rear-naked choke - seemingly out of nowhere - to seal the victory.
Allen, 30, remained unbeaten since a unanimous decision loss to Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in February 2025.
Duncan's five-fight winning streak came to an end. The 31-year-old Englishman suffered his first loss since a unanimous decision to Gregory Rodrigues in July 2024 and the first stoppage defeat of his career.
