ESPN’s Marc Raimondi is joined by Brendan Allen after his win over Paul Craig, wanting Whittaker or Cannonier next, CM Punk …
Mark Ray money for ESPN joined today by the man of the hour in the middleweight division Brendan Allen coming off that big win finish over Paul Craig just really a few days ago in Las Vegas the Apex Brendan biggest win so far of your career would you say I guess everyone’s the biggest one I guess um yeah I guess you could say so he he’s a guy that he has that that submission pedigree right like he’s a dangerous guy off his back and and uh but it seems like you’re the you’re kind of the the king of submissions right now in the middleweight Division I feel I am the king I just don’t have the the belt around my waist to prove it yet but um soon soon enough but yeah when it comes to the ground I think I’m the king for sure I mean the stats don’t lie right I mean your submission record you know your your streak I mean that’s pretty pretty impressive stuff and and middleweight is not really a division that’s known for for guys that can sub on on the ground so much yeah I’m a good hugger what can I say you and meard like the two the two top guys in the division like in the history of the division yeah I’m I’m gon catch G I’m G catch him by I’m gonna catch him but uh yeah man it’s just uh I’ve been doing a long time I’ve developed my own style I guess you could say that works great for fighting and um I don’t know I think if I if wasn’t fighting I think I’d be one of the best in the world at just pure Jiu-Jitsu as well but I took my Jiu-Jitsu game and I evolved it for MMA and it’s just trial and error it’s come around to be I think the best way for MMA I don’t know my ground imp pound’s good the way I look for submissions is obviously good I don’t know I just recognize things I can do it by just feeling I don’t even have to see like I can close my eyes if I need to obviously it helps to open with MMA but pure jit so I can close my eyes many times and be able to roll and do fairly well I’m not going to say it’s my best but I can do it so you got that win over Craig right you’re on a winning streak you’re you’re top 10 in the division some would say maybe even you should be a little higher in the division so what what is next for Brendan Allen what is yeah uh yeah man I think um yeah maybe I should be a little higher but obviously inactivity does not matter whatsoever you can be as active as you want and uh doesn’t matter but um yeah I think next for me is Robert Whitaker or Jared caner I think those are the two names that make sense I think winning over them even finishing over them obviously even better gets me a title shot and um that’s what we need we need new guys new blood all these guys up there fought for the belt or fought each other or um we need somebody new and I’m that new guy that young guy and I bring something different to the table I don’t know exactly what’s different than all these guys but I know I bring a lot different to the table with my style my age my resume just everything is I think is a lot different I think I’m the guy to shake up everything and put to a lot of guys momentum so um yeah I think those two names are realistic for me I I need a guy like that to fully boost me into those talks obviously resume enough doesn’t do it that that I have so um I don’t know man I’m ready hopefully one of those guys I’m ready for the task you have like a timetable of when you might want to return I mean as of now like April but I have to see what my my knee says uh if my knee’s good then maybe a little bit sooner um so March or April preferably but we’ll see what the doctor says tomorrow about my knee oh so you’re going to get a get a a checkup on that yeah yeah I gotta have it checked out um make sure everything’s good it’s crazy uh in the sport we’re in 10 seconds uh can change a whole lot of things for for after the fight obviously in the fight with adrenaline it is what it is but after that wears off yeah we’ll see what happens so 10 you don’t think anything minutes think anything is you don’t think anything has torn or anything right I don’t even know maybe I’m not sure I’ve never had anything really damaging in my knee before so um yeah this is it’s a little bit different I don’t know what it’s like my dad’s had pretty much everything reconstructed except for his ACL and his knee so um yeah I don’t know we find out tomorrow if uh what what it’s going to be and what everything looks like so hoping for good news but by the way it is what it is at this point and uh we’ll take it as it comes and either way hopefully next year I come back and UFC gives me something big big because uh I’ve defended my spot twice now at this point and uh it should only be up for me for sure let’s knock on wood and hope everything is okay in that in that scan tomorrow uh so Sean Strickland is is a champion now it’s kind of still weird to to say that uh but he’s he’s fighting he’s defending against draas dupes in January in Toronto UFC 297 what do you think about that fight and and do you see Strickland as kind of the long-term champ like are you looking at him and you know kind of preparing to fight him at some point or you looking at other people too no I definitely think dricus is going to be I mean uh I definitely think Strickland is GNA beat dricus and I think I think Strickland will stay there till hopefully I get there and we can run that back and uh that’ll be uh that’ll be great when it really matters at the highest point of where you want to go in your career it’ll be great to get that one back so uh I’m looking at strickling obviously I got one task ahead of me hopefully one task ahead of me and then um I’ll have that but um eyes are on Strickland for sure as far as who’s going to be Champion but again I got one one task ahead of me whoever that’s gonna be get that done and uh then we can fully hopefully look at Strickland and or whoever the champion is but I think Strickland will be there when it’s time I feel like you know since Strickland won like everyone is kind of like you know feing for that fight because maybe they don’t think he is a I don’t know maybe they don’t think he’s as good as adna was when he was at the you know when he was kind of dominating the division do you feel that way as well I mean for me I I think I just know what I need to do to beat him I think I I was winning the fight until I got caught I made a stupid audible I was I don’t know I just made a stupid audible young immature a little bit mentally I don’t I don’t know um but I know what I need to do to go out there and beat him and I’m gonna get him back he finished me I’m gonna finish him so um yeah I don’t think it’s anything like that I think strickling is good I think I don’t think people know how how to approach him I think everyone just doesn’t the people that don’t care for him are that NE negate him as as a good fighter are the people that just don’t like him because of his his speaking and what he speaks about not of him as a fighter um and anyone who does talk about him just as a fighter not including his uh his words and what he speaks about his topics are just uh they don’t know what they’re talking about they they guys that don’t have to go out there and fight him or can’t go out there and fight him so they just got to talk talk talk talk talk but um probably 98% of the guys that talk negatively about him as a fighter are the guys that he’ll beat out of so um yeah I think it’s just a little bit of ignorance and just the way social media makes things where you just got to talk talk talk um yeah I don’t think they can any guys that talk negatively about him or don’t have respect for him um sorry about that got me yeah I got you yeah yeah yeah no saying like the the proof is in the pudding I mean he went out there and dominated ad asagna for five rounds I mean it’s pretty it’s pretty wild speaking of AD asagna like it’s it’s almost weird not to talk about him when we talk about top guys of middleweight because I guess he’s gonna be taking some time off what do you think he does next honestly man I don’t know I thought he was gonna fight dricus at the beginning of the year and then the winner was Sean then he said he’s gonna take time off and then the fight came with strickling and dricus and um kind of shocked me a little bit so uh I’m not sure what he’s gonna do I guess he really is g to take some time off I mean good for him but you know um it’s never easy to come back after a long layoff things just evolve so fast the guys get better the top changes with these guys that are evolving so fast and that are young and hungry and um he’s really going to have to come back a whole new guy to uh depending on how long he stays out he have to come back a whole new guy to even compete at the top it’s just crazy how fast everything evolves and how good guys get in such short periods of time 100% And and you know as you mentioned before you’re one of the few guys who are contenders at middleweight who are under 30 years old so that definitely is a is an advantage for you moving forward I’m sure you’re going to be in that in that mix for quite some time um I got I got to ask you about uh you’re pushing for these purple shorts for for your fight Maybe maybe that’s the title fight uh the title fight Garb for you like why and I I kind I kind of have an idea why that’s a significant color for you but why why is that I mean I want I would like to get purple with yellow letters one because purple’s my kids’s favorite color so that ends up being my favorite color and then yellow just because for yellow letterings just because I’m a big LSU fan that’s what I figured purple and yellow so yeah LSU and it’s just where I’m from Louisiana so it’s kind of a a mixture of where I’m from and most of all my kids it’s I feel like uh the Louisiana pride is really cool you know you got you and Dustin porier like Daniel Cormier guys like that not a lot of states have that what is it about Louisiana that that Fosters that that kind of Pride I’m not sure man we just I think it’s just good old Southern Living that just kind of brings people together um the culture I think it’s many things just the way you’re brought up and how you treat one another and as you get older you realize these these um core characteristics that you you grow to to love and care care about and cherish because you go places and you realize these other places don’t have it and um I don’t know I I just I really love where I’m from majority of the people in it are great obviously we have our outliers but um yeah I love where I’m from I’m uh I’m all for it I like to put on to where for for where I’m and um I just want to keep growing it because there’s so many so much talent here in many different Realms it doesn’t even just have to be fighting but um most uh really Southern places don’t have a lot of money to really push you know for those big opportunities that other states or cities have and um again there’s so much talent in those small cities cities and um we have to do all we can to try to help that younger generation come out and get an opportunity or be seen or just have the opportunity to perform at a higher level so whether it’s for fighting football any type of sports academics all these different things um again there’s so much talent here that just hasn’t been seen yet that it’s up to us to help the younger generation to to try to be seen and get those outings L Wayne shouted you out on social media a few years ago this was even before you were a contender but he knew who you were and he knew you were from Louisiana like him that kind of speaks to me about like what that pride is in Louisiana people people know who else is from Louisiana and they and they take pride in that yeah for sure man you uh we don’t Ian obviously it’s growing right like it’s growing the amount of people that are on big stages for whatever it is they they love to do so um even though it’s still rare they’re they’re pretty easy to be seen they’re pretty easy to spot um just by listening you can normally tell where they’re from how they speak what they what they sound like you can kind of tell if they’re from here or not have you ever talked to him at all Lil way no man just that one shout out um when I fought I think dacas when um Dustin fought hooker that was it right during the the pandemic uh years I think right during the pandemic yeah but that’s why I walked out to Lil waiting for my that was my first Main Event so I felt it was only right to come out to something from Lil Wayne I remember being little and uh thinking about fighting and fighting on the big stage and I figured at the time that that song was kind of it was big but it was on its way out like we’re on to like uh like a Millie and lollipop and all those things from Lil Wayne and um so it fireman was always the one that me and my brother always talked about we’d walk out too so um it was just a good moment and uh Pace tribute again to Louisiana a little bit and bl Wayne and uh reminds me of those years of what I’ve come from when I was younger speaking of your walkout I need to ask you about this hat that was gifted to you by your teammate Shot Rock off and uh you know I’ve seen people say like almost this is the new mythical figure in MMA like Brendan Allen with this hat that shavod gifted him what what about this hat and is it like a good luck charm at this point I mean man I I think maybe it’s a little bit of the hat but I don’t know I’m kind of superstitious about my hair man my hair is the one because I had it long before and I was finishing guys and I cut it and got my face broken broke even though I won then I lost went on again and lost again and ever since I grow it back out I think it’s more my hair but the Hat’s great too yeah uh I’ve done great with the hat too so maybe it’s a little bit of both the hat and the hair is a is a is a strong you know one two combination I guess you could say yeah I guess so man lucks on my side when I have those too I would say so up to this point you had mentioned earlier that you know there is some inactivity in the middleweight Division and it’s kind of hard to to kind of move up into that into that top tier and I wanted to ask you a little bit about that in another division at 170 because your good friend balam Muhammad is there and it feels like he’s in that weird spot where he deserves a title shot right he’s done everything that he should and and can to get a title shot but yet it doesn’t seem like it’s coming for him you feel for balal your boy oh of course man I know he’s gonna get it I know he’s uh he’s earned it and um it’s coming uh I think we all know that it’s coming hopefully nothing happens and he gets jumped by somebody because that would be absolutely insanity but I think he’s done everything he needs to do to secure that that title shot and even though for whatever business reason because we know it’s all business why col’s fighting for for a title um after that fight’s over and done with we we we know whenever the champion whoever it’s going to be comes back next year it’s going to be B who T who challenges it and hopefully um who win that and new it’ll be and I can’t wait for that I’m uh excited for him for that and he’s worked so damn hard to get there um I just really hope that’s how it plays out and the call the cards fall in his favor I feel like uh Balan Muhammad is kind of the Rodney danger field of MMA and that might be a little bit of a dated reference maybe for someone like you who’s still in your 20s but you know no respect the guy gets no respect you know he’s done everything he can he’s a good guy you know he’s like the Palestinian roding Dangerfield yeah man good guys finish last I guess but uh I wouldn’t even say finish last it just takes a long a lot longer for us to get to get to the finish line but um it’s uh it’s like you you just can’t sell your soul to the devil for money or for fame and I think that’s one of the great spots where me and Bully like really click on because I can’t do that neither um I have two little kids that I can’t let them see me doing something crazy and eventually get older and ask me why I did that and me not have an explanation other than oh it was Financial or uh fame or whatever so um you know you just stay on your own course and do your own thing and eventually it’ll happen as long as you’re doing the right things and you continuously do the right things all that stuff is going to happen and I think both of us put Faith in in that as well so yeah man he gets no respect but um respect isn’t always given but he’s gonna take it when he has that belt around his waist it’s kind of like not a not a good guy sport in some ways right it’s like like the kind of like the guys who are at least playing bad guys even like aan Strickland you know say what you will about him he’s a great fighter of course but you know he plays into that whole that whole that whole thing talking trash and whatnot why is that you think and you think that’ll ever change um I don’t think it’s going to change for a while I think it’s they want Showmanship like you see on WWE I guess it makes sense now that WWE and and UFC are owned by the same company but um yeah I think it just brings more eyes to have Showmanship the more you hate someone the more you to watch because you want to see them lose and um the more I don’t know society’s more geared towards hating and talking and um than it is to show respect and um just be yourself uh I think that’s a societal issue that I don’t know if it’ll fix no one just cares about respect anymore yeah it seems that way you mentioned WWE I gotta ask you this question uh friend of yours Phil Brooks CM Punk made a big return over the weekend did you see this I saw the video uh yeah I saw the video did you know this was coming no I haven’t talked to Phil for probably a couple months obviously I’ve been super busy he’s been super busy um but I’m happy for him I know he’s getting paid I know he’s doing his thing so um I’m happy for him you know that’s anyone that’s my friend as long as they they’re doing something that they they like to do they don’t even have to love as long as they like to do it they getting paid well I’m happy for him that’s what they want to do then I’m happy for him um so yeah man I’m super happy for him obviously it made huge waves because I saw some was like eight million views or something like that so that’s crazy he is so like I I find it really funny because people at least wrestling fans who followed his career really were not following the the day-to-day of of his MMA run right and and you were there you know you train you guys train together correct at ruus sport right yeah and and like he as famous as he is and and we see now how famous he is right all this attention that he gets just by coming back uh he was there grinding with you guys every every day right every day man he was in there taking his lumps giving some and uh working his ass off best uh CM Punk training story man I don’t man Phil was always that guy that was super quiet just trained man he never said anything he wasn’t he didn’t like talk loud even or nothing he just stayed in the corner he paid attention he asked questions if he wanted to learn more um he was just a good student good learner and he he tried his best man you can’t ask for anything more than that um yeah I can’t say anything but good about him in the training room but he didn’t have he didn’t do anything crazy he was just there he was just there there was nothing crazy from him I always find it funny the dichotomy because everyone that I’ve talked to like in the MMA World about him is so different than the polarizing you know CM Punk character right the Phil Brooks and CM Punk are like very different people yeah they’re like two opposites man they’re total opposites Phil Phil is one of the nicest guys I’ve met one of the speakers like he his tone is super low um and we’ll take a picture sign anything talk to anyone like he’s a really he’s actually a really good guy he’s really just a normal guy Phil Brooks and then obviously is what everyone sees and um he’s very good at what he does indeed indeed last thing uh speaking of your training kill Cliff FC you know your team down in Florida I feel like it’s always kind of a contender for a gym of the year you know training camp of the year um there’s a big fight coming up in actually later later uh in December Ian Gary versus vente luk these are both teammates of yours for for a time I know Ian Gary is no longer with that team a little a little emotional for for the guys in the gym for this one um I wouldn’t say emotional it’s just like finally guys get to see see their true colors um I don’t know you can say what you want man like anyone can say they want about guys who jump from gym to gym to gym to gym to gym but man to me if you’re a gym gym like I don’t know to everyone everyone’s looking for something different than does that uh I don’t think it’s a to be honest I think it’s a really move to leave the gym and then literally ask for somehow or somehow it comes about that you’re going to fight a guy that you were training with and viente is one of the nicest guys ever like he don’t talk about nobody um he barely even talks in the gym you have to ask him questions to get him to talk but um yeah I don’t know and then you I don’t know I just think Ian’s a little wow okay so little bit little bit of heat on him at the gym I mean that’s just my personal feelings I’m not gonna speak for anyone else in the gym I just think it’s I think it’s I think he’s whack like I think he’s young I think he’s misled I I think he talks way too much but I understand he’s trying to be like Connor but man there’s only one Connor sorry there’s one Connor um and he he or no one right now in in the the realm is g to top Conor so I don’t know I I guess I just come from a different way of life and um kind of against my morals I guess you could say are like what what I feel is right and wrong and yeah he just talks too much like I said I just think he’s young and misled and um hey every man’s got to find their own path and um I guess he’ll find his one way or another whether it’s good or bad I feel like he was at a turning point where he could go down one road and still be a good person and um not let things transfer over but oh I think now he’s going down the other way where he’s like a kobby Covington type type of thing and um it’s it’s kind of it kind of sucks because like he he he was he was a nice guy and um but I feel like it’s one thing to play a Persona like Colby does and behind closed doors he’s a he’s they say they say he’s a really nice guy really quiet I don’t know I’ve never met him but um I’ve met Ian I know Ian and I feel like you can put this Persona on but actions speak louder than words and I think this is also one of those actions to where uh um speaks louder than words he can say what he wants he can make whatever excuse he wants um and then like you get things like someone post a video of shott and Jason wrestling I was there on that day I watched it I was two feet from it one I feel how I feel about the video but two I think he commented somewhere on there I heard someone say he commented somewhere on there and it’s like he records everything right like they record everything but just know there’s video and he he he knows who not what name not to say to let it come out of what happened to him I’m not going to release it but just know there is someone in that gym that has slept him out so for him to come in and say oh everyone knows how good he is striking and how good he is here and this and that and this and that yeah he had everyone has their days hell he’s probably got got the better of me a couple sparring sessions but there’s many sparring sessions I did what I did too so I I don’t know I think like it’s just a lot of talk and it’s hard to say Jim to to to to fighting uh because he’s totally different and um yeah I don’t know man it really rubs me the wrong way of how much he talks but more so what he says uh about about things like that I don’t know I think I just come from a different a different coach a different way of life right because gym stuff is supposed to stay in the gym right you don’t that’s kind of the that’s kind of like the the unwritten rule you could say of MMA is like you don’t talk about sparring sessions and you don’t release videos of sparring sessions and whatnot yeah it’s that like yeah it’s just I don’t know I get it sometimes like sometimes it’s G to come out because you’re competitive right you’re competitive with someone um but for me like that’s why I don’t really spoil with guys that I don’t trust or I’m not or that aren’t good that I have like some type of clarity with because I don’t know I’m that kind of guy if you start talking too much then we can just fight like we can really fight we can take the we could take the gloves we can put the gloves I don’t care like we can do that but um yeah I don’t know man it’s it’s it’s hard for even even me to put it in words of how how how stupid I think he is for for doing those things but again it’s exactly the same scenario of selling your soul to the devil for money and that’s what he’s doing but again I just feel he’s he is I feel like he is a good kid but now he’s he’s down that road where fame’s hit him money’s coming with it you got his girl telling him what to do when to do it how to do it and he’s just yes ma’am yes ma’am yes ma’am so that’s why I just think he’s misled but hey man I don’t really care if he’s happy God bless him as long as he leaves me alone we’re good and uh yeah I don’t care stay in your lane I’m gonna stay in mine fair enough Brendan thank you so much everything goes well with the knee and we get to see you back in a big Contender fight in 202 Robert Whitaker Jared canier that would be pretty cool thank you man thank you so much thanks for having me I really appreciate it and I hope you have a good day as well