A middleweight showdown between Brendan
Allen and Sean
Strickland has been added to the
UFC Fight Night 182 lineup.
Allen initially announced the pairing on Instagram, and it has
since been confirmed by multiple outlets. Allen was supposed to
square off against Ian Heinsich at UFC on ESPN 17 last weekend
before a positive COVID-19 test involving Heinisch resulted in the
cancellation of that bout.
“It all happened super fast, but we got everything done and put
together. Thank you SO much to the [UFC], [Dana White] and my guy
[Mick Maynard] for working his tail off and taking super good care
of me and getting me set up with a talented opponent,” Allen
wrote.
UFC Fight Night 182 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and
was originally scheduled to feature a lightweight clash between
Rafael dos
Anjos and Islam
Makhachev. Makhachev withdrew from the bout due to a staph
infection, and the promotion is in the process of seeking a
replacement opponent for dos Anjos. The card streams in its
entirety on ESPN+.
After earning a contract on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender
Series, Allen has kicked off his promotional tenure with three
straight victories. Most recently, he outpointed Kyle Dakaus at UFC
on ESPN 12 on June 27.
Strickland, meanwhile, returned from a two-year hiatus at UFC Fight
Night 181, where he captured a three-round verdict against Jack
Marshman on Oct. 31. Strickland is 8-3 in his promotional
tenure and 21-3 as a pro overall.