UFC Vegas 90 Main Event Pick
UFC VEGAS 90 MAIN EVENT PICK – Next weekend is the big UFC 300 card, but the UFC is first headed to the Apex to provide an appetizer. The main event sees a middleweight rematch of a fight that took place back in December 2021 where the big underdog was able to pull off the upset.
Brendan Allen looks for revenge this weekend while riding a six-fight winning streak.
Chris Curtis hopes to get some momentum rolling after exchanging wins and losses since his last meeting with Allen.
Will Allen showcase the improvements required to exact revenge? Or will the veteran come through once again and put an emphatic end to the rivalry? Read on to see how this fascinating middleweight matchup could go down and how we can extract some change from it.
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Brendan Allen
Coming into the UFC via the Contender Series, Allen was known for his high-level regional experience which included holding the LFA middleweight title. A first-round submission on the Contender Series over current Bellator contender, Aaron Jeffery, is all the UFC brass needed to see to bring Allen into the fold. He started off with three high-level wins over the likes of Kevin Holland, Tom Breese, and Kyle Daukaus.
He eventually ran into Sean Strickland who knocked him down a couple of pegs. Since then, he has amassed an 8-1 record with that lone defeat coming to his opponent this weekend.
What has made Allen so dangerous has been his aggressive BJJ game, especially when he can get opponents to the mat. During this six-fight winning streak, five of those wins have come by rear naked choke, showing how much of a mistake it is to give up your back to a fighter of his caliber. His striking game is slowly improving, as he utilizes long shots from distance as well as a lot of head kicks.
It’s been his downfall when he is unable to get superior strikers to the mat, but it’s been a positive sign during this winning streak as he managed to land a knockdown against Bruno Silva and find a submission right after. It’s clear he’s improving, but this weekend will be the perfect test to see how much he’s improved.
Chris Curtis
It’s not often that the UFC signs 34-year-olds, but Curtis finally got his shot with the big show after 34 fights across the globe. He came into the promotion and immediately started wrecking shop by finishing his first two opponents and dominating the third to a decision victory. That’s where things have started to hit a speed bump as Curtis is 2-2 over his last four fights, unable to muster up much momentum to get deeper into the rankings.
At his best, Curtis utilizes his slick boxing technique to hurt and finish his opponents. Takedown defense has been a huge emphasis at this stage of his career as opponents want to avoid slugging it out with him, so it’s been impressive to see him develop a stellar defensive game. His durability has been another shining aspect of his game which allows him to be so effective in the pocket when he exchanges strikes.
He often throws more than one strike at a time and opponents have found it hard to get a bead on his patterns as he mixes up the target very well. I love his body work which forces his opponents to drop their hands so he can land shots to the head.
The Pick
When Curtis came into his first meeting with Allen, he was nearly a +300 underdog. Nobody gave him much of a chance, but it was not at all a fluke that he won the fight. He battered Allen through the first five minutes, winning the round on all scorecards.
However, scorecards did not matter at all as Curtis put him away in the second round. This fight will be a true test to see how improved Allen has been in the striking realm, or at least if he has figured out a way to defeat this type of fighter. At +180, I feel there is still enough meat on the bone to take a shot on Curtis to replicate the last outcome.
His takedown defense is good enough and I still feel confident in his striking advantage. He can cause Allen a lot of hurt whenever he enters the pocket. Look for Curtis to land another knockout blow and cash once again as the underdog.Â