Brendan Allen wasn’t originally scheduled to participate in the main event, but he left a lasting impression on fight fans to close the show.
After Nikita Krylov became ill with a foodborne illness Saturday and could not compete against Ryan Spann in the scheduled marquee fight, the middleweight bout between Allen (21-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Andre Muniz became the new main event of UFC Fight Night 220 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
It became a big stage for Allen to make a statement in the three-round main event, and he did exactly that by tapping Muniz (23-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) at 4:25 of the final round.
The fight began at a measured pace as both fighters studied the range. Soon single punches and kicks were traded, with Allen getting the better of the early offerings. A nice combination of punches from Allen got Muniz’s attention, but a moment later a spinning back kick to the body scored for the Brazilian, sparking heated exchanges throughout the remainder of the round.
Allen kept the pressure high in the second, firing combinations first as he controlled the center of the cage. Muniz looked to mix things up with grappling, but his takedown was reversed and ended up on his back. Allen landed a few strikes while maintaining top position until the horn.
At the beginning of the third, the fighters hugged in the center of the cage before getting to the final five minutes of action.
Muniz put together some sharp punches in the early half of the round. With about two minutes remaining, Allen caught a kick to the body and lifted Muniz up for a big slam to the mat. A moment later, Allen took the back slapped on a rear-naked choke. It took a couple of adjustments, but Allen was able to get his arm under the neck to force a tap for an impressive finish.
Making the most of HIS main event!!!@BrendanAllenMMA sinks in the RNC in the closing seconds! #UFCVegas70 pic.twitter.com/VVRdDyibOM
— UFC (@ufc) February 26, 2023
Allen, 27, has now won four straight and had no shortage of names that he wants to face next. He mentioned the likes of Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis, Jack Hermansson and Dricus Du Plessis as potential opponents.
“I’m trying to fight everybody in this witch,” Allen said during his post-fight interview.
Muniz, 33, sees his impressive nine-fight winning streak come to an end. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran won his first five UFC bouts, including three first-round submissions.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 220 results include:
- Brendan Allen def. Andre Muniz via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:25
- Augusto Sakai def. Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tatiana Suarez def. Montana De La Rosa via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:51
- Mike Malott def. Yohan Lainesse via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:15
- Trevor Peek def. Erick Gonzalez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Gabriella Fernandes via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Jordan Leavitt def. Victor Martinez via knockout (knees, punches) – Round 1, 2:33
- Ode Osbourne def. Charles Johnson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joe Solecki def. Carl Deaton via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:55
- Nurullo Aliev def. Rafael Alves via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
