Two victories and a bye in the previous days of action advanced Allen to the 185lb division final on July 11. On that day he stopped the UK’s James Duckett with a rear-naked-choke submission, his third of the tournament, in the opening round. It would be the rear-naked-choke that continued to serve as Allen’s signature hold and would serve up the victory that took him to the ranks of the UFC.
Yesterday, July 16, Allen was back in Las Vegas less than a week after the four year anniversary of his gold medal winning performance, a victory that saw him named the inaugural pound-for-pound no.1 in IMMAF’s world rankings. This time, the Roufusport fighter was bidding for his place in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series.
Since turning professional in August of 2015, Allen built himself an 11-3 pro record and is the reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight title holder. With LFA serving as a proving ground of future UFC talent, Allen’s champion status had him marked as the hot favourite for success with Dana White watching on.
Allen secured a first round stoppage submitting contract rival Aaron Jeffrey on Tuesday night, the biggest moment of his pro career to date was a near mirror image of his amateur tenure climax.
Watch the moment that UFC President Dana White confirmed Allen as the promotion’s latest acquisition, below.
By IMMAF.org lead writer: Jorden Curran
