Brendan Allen locks in another rear-naked choke, submitting Christian Leroy Duncan in the fifth round at UFC Fight Night

Brendan Allen stayed in control of the grappling game and cashed in late, forcing a rear-naked choke submission of Christian Leroy Duncan in the fifth and final round at UFC Fight Night at Meta APEX on October 10, 2026. The finish extended Allen’s streak of recent wins built around submission pressure rather than prolonged stand-up exchanges.

According to the event coverage, Allen entered the fight riding a three-fight winning streak. That context matters in the middleweight division, where the UFC typically rewards momentum and repeat performances, especially from fighters who can turn position into stoppages. Here, Allen’s ability to keep working toward a submission option through the last round became the deciding factor.

Duncan arrived with a very different recent trajectory. The same report noted that he had won his last five fights in the Octagon, making this matchup more than a simple showcase for a single fighter. It also meant Allen’s late-round finishing approach faced a serious test against an opponent accustomed to closing out fights once they reach the later stages.

The bout’s flow, as described in the coverage, ultimately favored Allen’s persistence. A rear-naked choke in round five is not just a sign of a moment, it is the product of maintaining control long enough to return to the position that can end the fight. In practical terms, it suggests Allen’s late-campaign grappling remains a reliable threat, not a one-off skill that only appears early.

For UFC watchers, the result also reinforces a common theme around Allen’s style: he does not need to win quickly to make his path to victory. Instead, he builds, advances, and then finishes when the opponent is least able to escape. That approach tends to raise questions about how long future opponents can survive before Allen’s submission pressure converts into a stoppage again.

What to watch next is how this win reshapes the middleweight conversation around Allen. While the report does not address rankings or future matchmaking, a fifth-round rear-naked choke over a fighter coming in on a five-fight Octagon win streak is the kind of outcome that typically influences UFC decision-making for title-adjacent contenders. Another key question is whether the UFC continues pairing Allen with opponents who can defend takedowns and chokes deep into the fight, since that defense has to hold up across five rounds to slow his momentum.