Allen Dominates, Strangles Craig

Brendan Allen and Paul Craig squared off in a Middleweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 18, 2023) at UFC Vegas 82 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a strong showing, Allen dominated Craig up to the submission finish.

After a couple exchanges and some low kicks from Allen, Craig shoved his foe into the fence and started to wrestle. Allen reversed him with a slick whizzer kick and stepped into mount, but Craig was able to recover into half guard well. Craig used the lockdown position to transition into a calf slicer, and for a brief moment, the two were both attacking leglocks! When the two popped back up afterward, Allen slammed him back down and resumed working in top control. He finished the round on top, landing short punches and elbows.

Both men landed hard immediately in the second. Craig was more hurt, so he opted to fall to his back and accept guard. Allen landed a hard elbow and passed into mount briefly. As Craig escaped back to half guard, Allen nearly secured an arm triangle choke. Back in full guard, Craig was bleeding a good bit and starting to look battered. Craig continued to open his guard and throw up triangles, but they didn’t have the same steam on them. Allen nearly locked up a rear naked choke in the closing seconds of the round, and he was firmly in control ten minutes deep.

Allen smacked a right hand into Craig’s jaw early in the third, scoring top position when Craig tried to shoot afterward. Almost immediately, he moved towards the back, locking in yet another rear naked choke without any real hook in.

He got the tap!

True to his word, Allen was better everywhere here. Craig did some crafty stuff from his back, but he was largely rendered defensive, and Allen slowly broke him down with hard ground strikes and occasional shots on the feet. By the third, Craig was battered and unsteady on his feet, leaving him an easy target for Allen’s submission prowess.

Now riding a six-fight win streak, “All In” deserves his shot at a Top Five opponent.

Result: Brendan Allen defeats Paul Craig via rear naked choke

For complete UFC Vegas 82: “Allen vs. Craig” results and play-by-play, click HERE!