Brendan Allen submits Christian Leroy Duncan late, then indicates he wants a shot at a former champion

UFC Fight Night 290 (UFC Vegas 122) ended with Brendan Allen leaning into the deeper parts of his game. In the main event, Allen forced a late submission on Christian Leroy Duncan, finishing after finding the timing to break down his opponent and secure the tap in the closing moments. The win was the kind of momentum-building performance that matters in a division where contenders need more than just wins, they need finishes that look repeatable. According to the report covering the event, Allen’s path to victory was not a slow grind that petered out. Instead, he “went into his bag of tricks” to close the fight, and the finish came late, a detail that fans and matchmakers tend to remember. Late submissions often carry additional weight because they suggest a fighter did not merely survive a late round, but improved within it. The result also came with an agenda. After the fight, Allen used the moment to call out a former champion, indicating that he is not satisfied with being a high-level gatekeeper or a perennial contender without title proximity. While the report frames it as an explicit callout to a former titleholder, it does not provide the full matchup details here. Still, the intent is clear: Allen wants a fight that would put him back in the title conversation rather than another step along the ladder. For context, Allen’s position in the UFC ecosystem is built on a reputation for well-rounded grappling and controlled aggression. Fighters who can turn scrambles into submissions, and who can convert late-round opportunities, tend to stand out to the promotion. When that skill comes paired with a public callout, it compresses the distance between “winning” and “being next.” In a crowded middleweight field, that distinction can be decisive. The opponent, Christian Leroy Duncan, provided the kind of resistance that makes late-round finishes harder to manufacture. Getting a tap late generally requires more than one successful exchange. It usually involves patience, a read on what an opponent will concede, and the ability to secure dominant positions as a fight approaches its final minutes. Allen’s ability to force that outcome suggests he managed the fight well enough to set up the final sequence rather than rely on a single early moment. The key question now is what the UFC does with Allen’s callout. The promotion’s ranking and matchmaking logic often balances several factors at once, including recent performances across the division and stylistic fit. A callout can accelerate negotiations, but it does not replace the need for the champion or former champion to be available and willing. For Allen, the storyline is already positioned: a dynamic finisher who can hurt opponents late and who believes he is ready for a more consequential name. What to watch next is whether Allen’s post-fight remarks translate into an official booking, and how other contenders respond. If the UFC chooses to move him toward a former champion, the matchup would serve as a direct test of whether Allen can solve someone with championship-level experience under the pressure of being hunted by a submission threat. If the UFC instead lines up another contender, Allen’s challenge will be proving this was not a one-off late surge, but a reliable pattern that can carry him through to the title picture.

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