UFC News: Brendan Allen vs Paul Craig Set to Headline UFC Vegas 82

We've got some very exciting UFC news today! Middleweights Brendan Allen and Paul Craig will lock horns on November 18th for UFC Vegas 82. This is an incredible fight to make for many reasons. Allen, who is ranked number ten at 185lbs, is on a five-fight winning streak and has won four of these fights by rear-naked choke.

Not only has he won 13 of his 22 wins by submission, but he's been able to submit some of the most dangerous grapplers in the division. Defeating some of the best in a division is something that Allen's opponent, Paul Craig, is all too familiar with. Having defeated the likes of former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill, Magomed Ankalaev and ‘Shogun' Rua, Craig is a threat to anyone in the ring with him.

‘Bearjew' recently made the move from light heavyweight to middleweight, where he took on Andre Muniz in a fight that proved to be a grappler's delight. After some fun scrambles and exchanges on the feet, it was Craig that was able to secure the second-round TKO win and solidify himself amongst the middleweights. This is an incredibly interesting UFC fight announcement.

Brendan Allen vs Paul Craig: How Do They Match Up?

Jun 24, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Brendan Allen (red gloves) fights Bruno Silva (blue gloves) in a middleweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Both halves of our UFC Vegas 82 main event were able to dispose of Andre Muniz, who is a very dangerous grappler. With that as a common denominator along with their-grapple heavy styles and ability to frequently find the submission, this is a fight that could go many different ways. When we see two fighters with similar skillsets go at it, they can at times neutralize each other, meaning this could be a kickboxing fight.

However, Allen and Craig will probably stay true to their bread and butter and grapple it out in this fight. Craig is one of the best bottom players in the UFC; once he can get an overhook, he's very crafty and often finds the triangle choke. Allen is also a specialist and his submission of choice, at least on paper, is the rear-naked choke.

The biggest difference going into this UFC Vegas 82 bout is the age gap; Allen is just 27 and Craig is 35. Otherwise, these are two rather similar fighters that have very similar goals, and that's to get the win and climb the middleweight ranks. Craig, just 1-0 in the UFC's middleweight division, is currently ranked at the number 15 spot.

It wasn't too long ago that he seemed to be a potential threat to the light heavyweight title; he'd already submitted Jamahal Hill in his run that saw him go 5-0-1 until he dropped a decision loss to the former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir. Now, looking to take Allen's spot in the top 10, Craig is going to have to perform better than ever.

Brendan is on fire as of late and if he can deny Craig a winning streak at middleweight for the time being, then he'll deserve a huge push up the ranks, a big fight next and a lot more middleweights taking notice of him.

More of the UFC Vegas 82 Card

Some more UFC news for this event includes another great fight for the fans that love grappling. Chase Hooper is slated to take on Jordan Leavitt in a fight that's certain to turn the average ‘stand and bang' fan into a jiu jitsu enthusiast. This card is subject to change, but here's what we're looking at so far.

• Brendan Allen vs Paul Craig
• Amanda Ribas vs Luana Pinheiro
• Jordan Leavitt vs Chase Hooper
• Kyung Ho Kang vs John Castaneda
• Christian Leroy Duncan vs Cesar Almeida
• Ottman Azaitar vs Darrius Flowers
• Nikolas Motta vs Trey Ogden
• Nick Aguirre vs Payton Talbett

What an exciting card we've got in store for us come November 18th. Be sure to catch this event headlined by two of the most exciting grapplers in the middleweight rankings!