After losing his 185-pound title to Sean Strickland by split decision at UFC 328 in May, Khamzat Chimaev spent months demanding a rematch. With no fight currently booked inside the Octagon, he decided to stay sharp by competing on the wrestling mat.
However, No. 4-ranked middleweight Brendan Allen has been linked to face Chimaev for years. He recently shared his specific terms for a potential matchup.
Brendan Allen Details Title-Only Agreement With Khamzat Chimaev
Allen is on a four-fight win streak, most recently submitting Christian Leroy Duncan with a rear-naked choke at 2:46 of Round 5. The victory in the UFC Vegas 122 main event on Oct. 10 moved the 30-year-old to 28-7 and solidified his spot as the No. 4 middleweight contender.
Allen explained his arrangement with Chimaev on MMA Junkie Radio, noting that their friendship would not stop them from fighting if a UFC title is on the line.
“We have the agreement that we’re not going to fight each other unless it’s for gold,” Allen said. “So, if it’s for the belt, then we’re gonna fight. Fighting for the belt changes my life, and it changes my family’s. Everyone that I’ve ever come in contact with knows that about me: if it’s for a belt, there’s no questions that’s gonna be asked from my end.”
Unfortunately for Chimaev, he is no longer the champion. For Allen, a potential matchup between the two remains strictly governed by a “no title, no fight” boundary, as the belt is the only thing that would override their recent friendship.
Their bond is recent. Allen previously campaigned to fight Chimaev, and the two traded trash talk. However, Allen cleared the air with Chimaev’s team before they ever shared a training camp.
Praising Chimaev, he added, “His grappling as a whole is very good. His wrestling is very good. Obviously he started off wrestling, and then he tied his jiu-jitsu in to work with it, and he’s very good. He literally helped me with filling some gaps, or showing me holes in my game that I needed to fill and trying to help me fill them in the short time that we had. But yeah, he’s very good. He’s very, very good.”
Allen is currently targeting former champion Dricus du Plessis, accusing him of avoiding a matchup. Meanwhile, Chimaev will face former UFC champion Robbie Lawler on Friday in the co-main event at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Chimaev also accidentally revealed his next opponent during a press conference when asked about his plans. “I think we gonna wrestle [Colby] in Abu Dhabi,” Chimaev said, before realizing his mistake.
Organizers later made the matchup official, booking Chimaev against Colby Covington for the RAF Abu Dhabi main event on Nov. 14.
