Preview: UFC on ESPN 12 ‘Poirier vs. Hooker’ Main Card

Middleweights

Brendan Allen (14-3) vs. Kyle Daukaus (9-0)

ODDS: Allen (-275), Daukaus (+235)

Allen looked like a solid addition to the UFC roster coming off of Dana White’s Contender Series, but he has quickly become one of the top prospects to watch at middleweight. Allen is an absolute madman who immediately looks to tie up with his opponent and hunt for a finish. It is an exciting approach but one that figured to hit a wall as soon as Allen found himself unable to finish his opponents. Despite facing strong opposition in his two UFC bouts, Allen has been able to move up the ladder without much difficulty. He stayed aggressive and eventually scored a come-from-behind submission over Kevin Holland in his UFC debut, then took control early against Tom Breese and never let up on route to a first-round stoppage. Allen was initially matched against Ian Heinisch in what would have been a big opportunity at a breakthrough win, but he instead faces an organizational newcomer in Daukaus. Philadelphia’s Daukaus had a strong performance on DWCS in 2019, but he was one of the better fighters to not earn a contract coming off of that season. Daukaus is a former heavyweight and it shows, for better or for worse. He is a behemoth for the middleweight division but slow-footed in a way that will probably hurt him against the better athletes in the division. Still, there is a lot to like, particularly when Daukaus can take things to the mat and take over with a smothering grappling game. Allen should be able to get off to a fast start and get his hands on Daukaus, but from there, it is anyone’s guess as to how the fight goes, as Allen is capable of either taking over the fight or putting himself in a bad position during any particular moment. The pick is for Allen to eventually wear out Daukaus and score a third-round stoppage, but this should be a fun mess for as long as it lasts.

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