Middleweight contender Brendan Allen will face a surprising next opponent in his next Octagon appearance.
Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will face Edmen Sabazian (16-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 278 on June 6 at Meta APEX (Paramount+) in Las Vegas.
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Following initial reports from reporter Marcel Dorff, a source with knowledge of the fight confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie.
Allen, ranked No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Fan middleweight rankings, has been engaged in a grudge match with former champion Du Plessis. The 30-year-old called out Du Plessis again after knocking out Reinier de Ridder with a corner kick at UFC Fight Night 262 in October, but to no avail.
Instead, he got the unranked Shahbazyan, who turned things around with three straight wins after losing five of seven games between August 2020 and August 2024. The 28-year-old is set to knock out Andre Muniz in the first round at UFC 320 in October.
The latest UFC Fight Night 278 lineup includes:
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Belal Muhammad v. Gabriel Bonfin
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Brendan Allen VS Edman Shahbazyan
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Jayisla Chavez vs Younesi Dubon
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Edgar Chairman VS Bruno Silva
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brendan Allen’s surprise showdown at UFC Vegas 118
