BELAL Reveals: ALLEN Fought With STAPH INFECTION at UFC Vegas 122
“Never complained, never made excuses, just found a way to win. That's the heart of a champion.”
The former welterweight champion says Allen battled the infection since Tuesday of fight week — and still choked out Christian Leroy Duncan in round five.
"What people don't know is Brendan was dealing with a staph infection since Tuesday of fight week."
Belal Muhammad dropped that on X after UFC Vegas 122. His teammate Brendan Allen hadn't just beaten Christian Leroy Duncan on Saturday night — he'd beaten him while his own body was fighting a war of its own.
Why It Matters Now
This changes the whole read on Allen's fifth-round rear-naked choke. A comeback finish is impressive. A comeback finish on antibiotics, mid-infection, with five days of the course still left after the fight — that's a different animal. You love to see it.
THE REVEAL
Muhammad shared a video of Allen staggering into a hospital's emergency check-in, plus photos of Allen's inflamed skin. The former welterweight champion wrote that Allen "had to get on antibiotics, still has 5 days left on them, and despite all that adversity, went out there and got the finish."
"Never complained, never made excuses, just found a way to win. That's the heart of a champion. Proud of my brother." — Belal Muhammad
WHAT ALLEN DID ANYWAY
Allen (28-7) choked Duncan (15-3) out at 2:46 of round five. It was the first time anyone has ever finished Duncan — Allen's fourth straight win, and a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
The night wasn't clean. Duncan lost a point in round two for eye pokes, and Allen had to survive some rough spots before the finish. None of it mattered. Allen found the neck and ended it.
WHAT'S NEXT
Allen wants former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis next — a grudge match with real title-picture weight. His stated goal: Du Plessis in 2027 - then the belt.
So here's the question: who wants to fight the guy who chokes out top-15 middleweights while on antibiotics?
