Brendan Allen tapped Andre Muniz for third

Brendan Allen was not originally scheduled to main event, but he made a lasting impression on fans fighting to close out the show.

After Nikita Krylov fell ill with a foodborne illness on Saturday and was unable to compete against Ryan Spahn in a scheduled marquee fight, the middleweight bout between Allen (21-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Andre Muniz has become the UFC’s new main event. Fight Night 220 at 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 just 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. Single punches and kicks soon traded, with Allen getting the best of the early performances. A nice combination of punches from Allen caught Muniz’s attention, but a moment later, a back kick to the body was scored for the Brazilian, sparking heated exchanges throughout the remainder of the round.

Allen kept the pressure high in the second set, firing sets first as he controlled the center of the cage. Muñiz seemed to mix things up with the wrestling, but the takedown was reversed and he ended up flat on the back. Allen landed a few strokes while maintaining top position to the century.

At the beginning of the third, the fighters hugged in the center of the cage before reaching the final five minutes of the fight.

Muñiz landed some sharp punches in the first half of the round. With about two minutes remaining, Allen landed a body kick and lifted Muñiz up for a big win on the mat. A moment later, Allen slapped his back on a naked choke from behind. It took several adjustments, but Allen was able to get his arm under his neck to force the tap to a nice finish.

Allen, 27, has won four straight victories and has had no shortage of names to want to take on next. He pointed to the likes of Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis, Jack Hermanson and Dricos du Plessis as potential opponents.

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“I’m trying to fight everyone on this witch,” Allen said during his post-fight interview.

Muniz, 33, sees his impressive nine-game winning streak come to an end. Series combat veteran Dana White won his first five fights in the UFC, including three first-round submissions.

UFC Fight Night 220 up to the minute results include:

  • def. Brendan Allen. Andre Muniz via submission (naked rear choke) – Round 3, 4:25
  • Augusto Sakai defeated. Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Tatiana Suarez won. Montana de la Rosa by submission (guillotine choke) – Second round, 2:51
  • Mike Malott def. Yohan Lainesse via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:15
  • Trevor Beck defeated. Eric Gonzalez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Gabriela Fernandez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Jordan Levitt defeated. Victor Martinez by knockout (knees and punches) – 1st round, 2:33
  • Audi Osborne defeated. Charles Johnson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Joe Solecki defeated. Carl Deighton via technical submission (naked rear choke) – Round two, 4:55
  • Nurulu Aliyev def. Rafael Alves by majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)

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