Video
Original Description
Brendan Allen joins the UFC Post Show after his win over Reinier de Ridder on less than a month’s notice.
✔ For more UFC, sign up for ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/ufc/youtube
✔ Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
✔ Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
✔ Subscribe to ESPN FC on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoESPNFC
✔ Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoNBAonESPN
✔ Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV
Video Transcript
But as we uh welcome in Mr. Brendan
Allen, we're going to switch back to our
main event here. Congratulations to you,
sir.
Thank you so much.
So, how do you feel about that win? Uh
did you expect it to be a fully
grappling affair tonight?
Not really. I thought I'd touch him more
on the feet. Um but I knew he was going
to shoot early. He did exactly what we
expected, exactly what we trained for.
It took me a little minute to get going,
but um I'm a veteran. I've been here
before. He doesn't present anything that
I've never seen, never felt. And um I
knew he couldn't take the the punishment
over five rounds. 25 minutes is a long
time. And um I fought some of the best
guys in the world. Again, I'll say it
over and over, but when I'm on when I'm
locked, I think I'm the best in the
world.
What's different then? Why are you
locked this time? What did you address
to to make these changes? Because you
you you seem 100% unstoppable right now.
I think my team my team is amazing. They
care about me as a person fully. They
don't care what happens in there. They
they just want me to be to the best that
I can be. My brother Bal, he's here.
He's right in the middle of a camp. He
flew all the way here during the middle
of his training camp because he believed
in me. All these guys stopped their
whole lives with their families and
everything to to fully put in effort
into me for these four weeks, well,
three and a half training. And um I
wouldn't be here without these guys. I'm
very open and honest about my emotions.
They listen to me. We break it down. And
um yeah, man. They're just here for me.
and I couldn't be happier and I'm just
trying to make these guys proud.
Well, let's talk about the fight a
little bit. I want to ask you, you know,
first round definitely dicey. Worst case
scenario, you get this guy on your back,
he's attacking the arm triangle. You did
a good job staying patient, but when did
you feel the momentum shift in this
fight? When did you feel like you were
starting to take over?
I knew it was going to happen. They told
me going into the fight like it it's
okay if he gets on top. It's okay if you
mess up. Adversity, we're okay. It's 25
minutes. Um, so he got the trip or
whatever in the first and I felt him
like squeezing so hard with his legs and
mount and I was like, uh, there's no way
you're going to be able to keep that for
25 minutes, probably not even two
rounds. And um, so I just played smart,
kept the hands, kept controlling them,
uh, kept sitting my hips like working to
sit my hips and look to a side and he
kept squeezing and kept squeezing and
kept squeezing. It's a amateur mistake,
you know. This is high high level. You
guys know how it is. Like this is super
high level. You you keep making mistakes
like that and he's a big guy. He's
probably the biggest middleweight on the
roster and um yeah, I knew he couldn't
keep that up. So um grappling I speak
that fluently. I speak it fluently. So
that you definitely do.
Yeah. So it was just uh experience. Um I
knew I was okay.
So you you fought some of the best guys
in the world. You know, he he beat
Robert Whitaker who Robert Whitaker who
I think everyone has a lot of respect
for. Uh he's turned away prospects.
Where do you think he ranks in terms of
all the people that you fought? Like cuz
you probably just put yourself in the
top five. Where do you think he stands
compared to everybody else in the
division? Because we think we've all
been kind of unsure.
Well, you know how the politics works.
So, they're probably going to put me at
like number six or some But to
me, I'm number four in the world. I just
beat number four. I'm number four. I
took the the opportunity. I took the
risk. I gambled.
Um,
what's the mindset there? Because you've
always been so smart about your career.
I was actually really shocked that you
took a short notice fight because I've
I've seen you turn down fights months in
advance because that's didn't didn't fit
the trajectory of your career. I've
always thought it was super smart of you
to do that and then I see you take a
fight that's, you know, on three and a
half weeks notice. What did you see that
you liked or what was the difference
there? Like there was definitely a risk,
but it seemed like it was very
calculated.
Yeah. So, man, I'm not going to lie.
When I'm at home, I don't train much.
I'm just a dad and a husband cuz I
travel so much to to train and try to
chase this dream, you know? So, uh I'm
just a husband and a dad and um I've
always asked for this fight just like I
always asked for the Drius fight when he
got into the UFC and he just surpassed.
So, I saw this being another durus
moment.
I wanted to fight November and then they
were like, "Oh man, you know, we have to
offer these guys that don't have fights
uh fights." So, maybe December. December
came. They're like, "We don't have
anything still. We're still giving guys
fights. You know, it's a business." And
um finally this came back and um it was
just one of those opportunities I
couldn't pass up. Again, stylistically
um I knew he couldn't beat me.
Stylistically, I knew I was better
everywhere. Um, again, it took me a
little minute to get going, but um,
yeah, man. I think I'm the best in the
world. I think I'm the best in the
world.
Well, listen, Brendan, for that, let's
take a look at the rankings right now
because you did make a couple of call
outs. Obviously, you put the champ's
name out there, but um, you also
mentioned the former champ in DDP. Where
would you like to go after this fight?
I mean, I think I'm number four in the
world. I just beat him. So, uh, you
know, um, I think it's just what fight
are they going to make with the
champion? Obviously, they need to talk
to the champion, see what his timeline
is. For me, my baby's going to be born
probably January, February. So, this is
why it was so important to fight before
the end of the year, cuz I wanted to
actually take time and be with my wife,
be with my family, and actually enjoy
our our baby. The last one, it was so
rushed, like he was born, and then it
was, oh like C-section, and then
let's go to camp, and it was just a lot,
and it was a lot on her. And uh so this
time around, you know, being a little
bit older, trying to be a little bit
wiser, a little bit more stable. Um I
just want to be a better husband and a
better father. And um I fought a lot
this year. I've been gone a lot this
year. And uh I want to ride this
momentum, but I'm 29 years old. This is
my 18th UFC fight. It's crazy. 6 years
to the day I made my debut. So that's
that's uh pretty special for me. And um
but yeah, I want to be home with my
wife, meet our new baby girl, and um
we'll see what the champ says. We'll see
what this company says and um we'll go
from there. I'm not I'm not really
pressed about it right now. I'm just
happy with this. I worked really really
hard for this and um I'm very thankful
for this moment.
You know, I got to ask you something.
You know, I'm a big believer on fight
week when you see signs things that like
favor you like you said allin being all
around the arena. You got things that
that are playing into your favor and
then the news of Duke Rufus breaks and
I'm just curious like what how did you
handle your emotions headed into this
fight? This is a big moment. And then as
you have kind of a contrast of styles
where you see all these great signs for
you and then essentially some adversity
losing somebody that was pivotal in your
career. How did you navigate the
emotions hearing the news about Duke
Rufus?
To be honest,
bring it up and I
No, no, you're right. You're right. Um
to be honest, this whole week was
different. Like I never thought I would
be able to top the New Orleans. Like
being home, everything that happened was
just perfect. This fight week wasn't
perfect. Like I come in heavier than
normal cuz it was a short camp. My body
didn't really have time to adjust. Um my
team kept me on track, but we go to
Tuesday to all the stuff at the hotel
and they're like, "Hey, you know, this
is uh to the day on Saturday." Well,
they said seven year, but I knew it was
six. Six year anniversary to the day you
made your debut. I was like, "Wow,
that's pretty great." Um I didn't know
that. Then we get here for weigh-ins and
I see allin all around this thing and my
name above it.
Yeah.
I was like, "Damn, this is this is
crazy." And then um on the literally
leaving the venue going back to the
Airbnb uh Bal got word that had Duke had
passed away and um it really hit home
obviously when you have someone that
you've been around and you've been in
the room every day with for years. I was
with him for years and um it really hit
home. I feel so sorry for his family
mostly for his daughter. I knew those
people like I knew them and u it really
hits home. So I
I wanted to go out there and try to make
him proud as well. all my team proud, my
family. That's what I do this for. Like,
I'm super competitive, but I've been
doing this for so long. I just want to
make u my team proud and try to reach my
dream and show my kids and all these
other kids that it's possible. I'm just
a redneck from Louisiana, you know?
That's it.
Uh last one for me. What sparked the I
think the gym change was absolutely
perfect. I could just tell even in your
interviews, I can just tell you're
you're you're just in a better place. Uh
what sparked the change, though? And
when did that happen? Was it one
individual thing or did you just kind of
slowly start thinking about it and then
just worked your way to the change?
So obviously I've known Bal since
roofersport days and um we always stay
in contact, always talk when we see each
other. It's like we never missed a beat,
you know. And um he's always been
telling me, "Hey, come through, come
through, come work, come just see. You
don't have to train here forever, but
just come see. Come hang out. I can help
you. We could help you." And um I didn't
fight to my potential with Emov for the
reasons that I had. I lost a fluffy just
being so lazy and I was like I had to
take a hard look at myself, see where
the problems lie and I was just too
complacent there and I was doing
everything myself pretty much like I was
doing my game planning. I was doing my
schedule what I wanted to train. I
didn't have a coach to fully take a hold
of me and that hey today we're going to
work this.
We're going to work this. I don't care
if you like it. This is what we need to
fix. You know what I mean? You know in
big gyms you get that feel where it's
just for everyone and they try to fit
like a a broad spectrum to everyone.
Whereas here, like I said, for three and
a half weeks, every single day, it's on
days that you hate it that they're like,
"Hey, we're doing get-ups." I'm like,
"Come on, man. Do we got to do get up
today? Come on. I know how to get up."
Like, and uh but hey, they make me do it
every day. They don't care if I
complain, if I whine, if I start being a
little prick, you know? Um
Yeah, you can complain as long as you
keep doing it.
Yeah, that's what you know, as long as
I'm doing it. But Bal's amazing coach.
Like, he has tons of experience. He's I
still think he's the best middleweight
in the world. And um you know he don't
care. He's like I don't care. Go if you
don't go burpees. Come on. Go. I don't
care. You know.
Oh my gosh. Get them to our burpees.
What a choice.
Yeah. So it's like keep going. Like I
don't care if you're tired. We're going
to keep going. And um but at the end of
the day I fully feel they care about me.
When I'm not fighting, hey man, how you
doing? How's how's your family? Um when
you coming back, let's start working on
things. Your body okay? Your family
good? Like they care about me as a
person. They don't just like, oh man,
we're going to go win this fight. We're
going to make some money. you know, um
they don't care about none of that and
that's something that really hits home
for me and really makes me want to do my
best for them. So, um I'm super grateful
for them. It's been the best change that
I could make. Um I know
nobody can wrestle like me, you know,
Fluffy can't wrestle like that. So,
working with him
and steady fixing those holes that I
had, the mental gaps, the laziness, and
um sharpening my technique is um is what
I needed. And thanks to these guys,
that's what we did. And you see just a
little a little hint of that tonight.
Yeah, it's great. We can obviously tell
you being around somebody who's already
gone to the top of the mountain is doing
great things for you. And uh yeah, just
congratulations on this victory. Really
very impressive coming up to Vancouver.
And I love the fact that you kind of dug
deep and got your Canadian roots out
here as well. So congratulations to you,
Brendan. Thanks for joining us.
[Applause]
[Music]