Brendan Allen addressed Sean Strickland's ringside heckling during his recent fight with Shakhbazyan, saying he fired back at Strickland with an insult mid-bout. Allen argued that Strickland sacrificed one of his fighters in a tactical gambit that failed. Reflecting on their 2020 bout — a second-round TKO loss for Allen — he emphasized how much he has grown, noting 12 wins since then including victories over De Ridder, Vettori, Curtis, and Craig. Allen also compared Strickland to Edmen Shahbazyan, calling Edmen a faster, sharper, more technically refined version of Strickland.
Brendan Allen used the aftermath of his fight with Edmen Shahbazyan to take direct aim at Sean Strickland, addressing the middleweight champion's ringside heckling and staking out his territory as a fundamentally different fighter from the one Strickland stopped four years ago.
Allen, 30, holds a 26-7 record and sits at number five in the middleweight division. Fighting out of Kill Cliff FC, the six-foot-two American has developed into one of the more well-rounded contenders in the weight class, posting a striking accuracy of 53 percent while averaging 1.56 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes — numbers that reflect a fighter comfortable winning in multiple ways. He says that 12 victories since the 2020 loss to Strickland, including wins over De Ridder, Vettori, Curtis, and Craig, illustrate how far he has come.
Strickland, 35, is the reigning middleweight champion with a 31-7 record. The Xtreme Couture product is one of the division's most prolific strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach. Shahbazyan also trains at Xtreme Couture, and Allen accused Strickland of essentially using his own teammate as a tactical pawn in a gambit that backfired.
Allen reportedly fired an insult back at Strickland while the fight was still ongoing, a detail that underlines just how personal the rivalry has become. He went further by comparing Strickland to Shahbazyan, describing the 28-year-old as a faster, sharper, and more technically refined version of the champion.
Why it matters
- Allen's five-ranked position and 12-fight winning run since their 2020 bout make a rematch commercially and competitively credible
- Strickland's connection to Shahbazyan as a teammate adds a layered dynamic to Allen's accusations of tactical manipulation
- A striking matchup between Allen's 53 percent accuracy and Strickland's high-volume 6.04 strikes per minute presents a genuine stylistic contrast at 185 pounds
