Allen has positioned himself as a potential future title challenger with his 10-2 UFC record and six-fight winning streak. The Louisiana native has an incredibly well-rounded skillset, able to finish the fight with his fists or his jiu-jitsu. He ran into a man who is much the opposite, a lethal weapon with his BJJ but with less than stellar striking, the Scotsman Paul Craig. Craig had been a light-heavyweight his whole career until he moved down in early 2023. His first middleweight fight was a success as he finished fellow BJJ ace Andre Muniz. The ‘Bearjew’ looked to continue that and push into the top end at 185-lbs.

The fight began as a low-paced striking match; Allen landed a few decent punches and missed some bigger ones. He clinched up with Craig a minute in and landed some knees but Craig pushed Allen to the fence and went for a takedown. Allen responded with a hip throw that placed Paul firmly on the mat. Brendan almost got back mount but settled in half-guard. Craig went for a calf slicer from bottom which almost gave Allen a chance to get a rear-naked choke, but he instead went for a leg lock which gave Paul a chance to get to his feet. However on the feet Allen just lifted and threw the Scotsman to the mat again. Allen got on top in the guard of Craig and used the can opener to make him uncomfortable while controlling him until the end of the round.

An early striking exchange went Allen’s way in round two and that caused Craig to simply pull guard, which Brendan Allen obliged. From on top he landed a big elbow that split open Paul’s eyebrow. Blood flowed onto the mat as Allen completed a strong pass to half-guard and then full mount. Craig managed to regain half-guard, which saved him from the arm triangle attempt that Allen put on him. Despite failing at his submission, Allen still rained down sharp elbows and short punches while maintaining a low and heavy top control. Brendan got a late back-take and choke attempt, which was halted by the end-of-round buzzer.

The third round began with Allen smacking Craig with a right hand. Allen crashed into the clinch and locked up a guillotine choke. He dropped down on it but Craig got his head out. However the Scotsman was wilting by this point and Allen easily transitioned to a back take. The rear-naked choke came quick and Paul Craig was forced to tap.

A six-fight winning streak gives Brendan Allen one of the best arguments at a title fight if he can get one more win against a top-five contender. He has finished five out of six fights on this winning streak and will surely find himself with a significantly higher ranking at middleweight come the rankings update on Tuesday.

Official Result: Brendan Allen def. Paul Craig by Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 0:38 

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Early on in the UFC Vegas 82 co-feature, it was Matthews holding center, but soon enough Morales pressed back, both men ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It was single strikes through the first 90 seconds or so, with plenty of feints mixed in. Matthews slipped, but quickly returned to his feet, averting possible disaster. Moments later, however, a powerful Morales punch pushed Matthews back; while Matthews landed as well, there was a clear differential in power.

As the opening round wore on, Matthews played the counter game, though more often than not he hit air, not Michael Morales. However, “The Celtic Kid” did hit the mark at least once; Morales, meanwhile, fired an explosive jump knee and always seemed ready to finish the fight.

Morales went on the attack about a minute into the second round, firing uppercuts and straight punches, forcing Matthews to cover up and retreat. Matthews regrouped, and began pushing forward again, firing a 1-2, circling, and looking for a way inside only to eat a leg kick or two. The second frame was a back-and-forth affair with both men landing, hard shots at that, though neither came close to finishing the fight.

What had been a very lively affair was still up for grabs as round three arrived, but the wind came out of the sails — specifically Morales’ sail — when Matthews connected low with a kick in the opening minute. Morales was given a time out to recover, but took only 30 seconds of the allotted five minutes.

Back in action, Morales kicked the leg of a charging Matthews. The pair continued to trade, with Morales occasionally finding an opening to land an uppercut. Late in the round, he ducked in on a takedown attempt, which Matthews stuffed. They ended up swinging to the final bell in a hard-hitting scrap, with Michael Morales earning the nod on the scorecards. He improved to 16-0 with the win.

Official Result: Michael Morales def. Jake Matthews by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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It didn’t disappoint, and played out, as expected, mostly on the mat.

Chase Hooper ate a nasty ground strike from Jordan Leavitt in the opening round of their lightweight fight, with Leavitt proving he was able to leave his nice guy persona at the cage door and really look to hurt the youngster. But Hooper, with solid Fight IQ for someone so young, took advantage of a scramble and flowed right into a rear-naked choke. With the body triangle in place and fully under the chin, Hooper had the submission locked up, and he knew it. Leavitt knew it as well, and had no choice but to tap!

The win is the second straight for 24-year old Chase Hooper, after picking up a unanimous decision over Nick Fiore earlier this year. After trading wins and losses through the entirety of his featherweight run in the UFC, it seems “The Dream” has found himself at 155lbs.

Official Result: Chase Hooper def. Jordan Leavitt by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:58

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Orolbai was competent on the mat, but whether he could get Medic there was a question.

The fight opened up with some body kicks from Medic. He quickly was using his range very well with those kicks. Medic stuck Orolbai with a jab and a knee as Orolbai went in for a takedown. Orolbai took a few hard shots to get inside but ended up getting the takedown.

Medic got back up, but Orolbai hit a mat return twice. Orolbai was trying to inch his way to the back but the fence was in the way. Medic got to his feet again but Orolbai was a dog on a bone getting it back down. Medic wouldn’t be flustered as he kept getting back up. Back down went Medic and that time he stayed there until the bell rang.

In round two it seemed like Medic was too nervous to over-commit to anything. Orolbai quickly cut the cage off and got an easy takedown. Orolbai was using wrist control and keeping Medic grounded. He used it to make Medic work and Orolbai ended up taking the back. Quickly, Mecdic scrambled and got to his feet. But while Medic could get back to his feet, he couldn’t get the separation. Another easy takedown from Orolbai and he was halfway on the back. Orolbai had in a choke that wasn’t under the chin. With that said, the pressure was so tight on the chin that Medic had to tap.

Official Result: Myktybek Orolbai def. Uros Medic by Submission (neck crank), Round 2, 4:12

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Instead, he had to content with a tall, long Johnson, who fired a head kick early and used his length well. When Johnson landed an early takedown it felt like Anheliger was in for a long night. But he was able to take control and by the midway mark of round one had Johnson pressed up against the fence.

Johnson reversed, only to be reversed again himself. The duo traded knees, but eventually broke and moved back to center, where Johnson again showed off his reach advantage. Bad news for Anheliger, he’d wind up taken to the mat and wailed on at the end of the round.

Between frames, Anheliger’s corner told him that he was way better than what he’d shown so far. In the second, he looked to show that, and battled it out in the clinch some more along the fence. Mid-frame, Anheliger put his opponent on the defensive, but it didn’t last. Later in the round, Anheliger grabbed a guillotine, but he didn’t have it, and wound up with Johnson on top. Johnson transitioned to the back inside of the final minute, looking to slip an arm under the neck. The submission wasn’t there, but Jose Johnson finished the round strong.

Chad Anheliger found himself on top in guard early in the third, with Johnson firing elbows off his back. Johnson was very active on bottom, looking to draw his leg up the back, perhaps thinking triangle. That didn’t work out, and Anheliger worked to pass, at least keeping the fight from being stood up. Anheliger slowly, steadily moved into side control, but Johnson almost immediately regained guard.

With time winding down, Jose Johnson looked to be in a good spot. Still, he opted to leave the judges out of the equation. Taking Anheliger’s back, hooks in, Johnson sunk in a rear-naked choke, flattening Chad Anheliger out and forcing the tap!

Official Result: Jose Johnson def. Chad Anheliger by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:49

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The middleweight bout arrived on the preliminary portion of Saturday’s Fight Night card.

The opening round of Duncan vs. Tiuliulin saw plenty of clinch work along the fence. Duncan proved to be strong there, holding on to his opponent with a body lock, looking for the odd takedown, and firing an impressive number of knees from that position. While Duncan couldn’t inflict a lot of damage from there, he also managed to avoid taking any, and was in control for the majority of the frame.

Tiuliulin walked Duncan down in the second, but Christian Leroy Duncan showed impressive speed, attacked at angles, and mixed things up, showing superb creativity in his striking. Throughout the round, Duncan blasted Tuiluilin with elbows, and while Denis Tiuliulin would not go away, he was falling behind on the scorecards, at risk of dropping a decision should the fight go the distance.

It didn’t. In the final minute of round two, Duncan uncorked a volley of uppercuts, with Tuiliulin eventually going down off those plus a couple of uppercuts! Some follow-up strikes left the ref no choice but to wave things off, giving Christian Leroy Duncan his second win inside the octagon.

Official Result: Christian Leroy Duncan def. Denis Tiuliulin by TKO (strikes), Round 2, 4:24

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Saragih came into this fight on the back of his Road to UFC tournament performances, where he got to the finals after two spectacular finishes, before losing to Anshul Jubli in a final that doubled as their UFC debuts. Saragih sought his first win at UFC Vegas 82, which was a big deal as the first UFC fighter from a large nation, Indonesia. Lucas Alexander came in with other ideas and as a five-to-one favorite, but it was not to be for him. He looked to build off of his first UFC win which came in his second fight, against Steven Peterson.

Alexander had a height and reach advantage that was clear when the fight began; early on he used that to land leg kicks and fire occasional two or three punch combos. Saragih had trouble firing back and soon got trapped against the fence. Jeka caught a kick and used it to escape danger by dumping Lucas to the mat. Alexander used a leg lock attempt to stand back up but the moment he got to his feet Jeka Saragih lunged forward with a left hook that caught him unawares. Lucas Alexander fell back against the fence, unconscious instantly. Jeka got one more punch in before the referee stopped the fight.

With that, Jeka Saragih and the entire nation of Indonesia got their first win in the UFC octagon in spectacular fashion. For his post-fight interview, Saragih stated (through a translator) how he had been away from his family a lot as he trained in the United States but that he would be returning to his village in Indonesia to visit them and celebrate after this.

Official Result: Jeka Saragih def. Lucas Alexander by Knockout (left hook), Round 1, 1:31

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“If the UFC gives it to me, I’ll take it. But I think he’s ranked higher than me, being on a two-knockout streak. If it happens, it happens, but I’m counting myself lucky,” joked Leavitt during this week’s UFC Vegas 82 media day. “So respect to him, he knocked out one of the most highly acclaimed prospects in the division, then he knocked out another guy in Brazil. So I mean, preferably not. But if it happens, I’m down, I won’t shy away from a challenge.”

What took him out of the Brener fight, scheduled for July, was an AC joint separation. “I couldn’t use my right hand, couldn’t grapple, and I was considering still fighting, but seeing Elves knocking people out, I think I got pretty lucky with that one,” stated Leavitt. “Because I wasn’t blocking that right hand, I couldn’t even get to my eyebrow.”

That said, Leavitt didn’t actually want to withdraw from the bout — him simply gave into pressure from those closest to him. “I really didn’t want to, my wife was just like ‘please don’t do this.'”

At UFC Vegas 82, Jordan Leavitt has been paired up with Chase Hooper, and he’s not sure what to make of the pairing.

“I still don’t have an answer for that question. This fight could be a sloppy, ugly, grappl-y thing, it could be a very tedious clinch fight. Or be really fun like grappling exchanges, and I’m not sure which one I want. Because we’re both clearly more dangerous in one position, but it’s each other’s strengths.”

Hooper is best known, of course, as a grappler, and Leavitt is no slouch there. He also has plenty of respect for the youngster.

“Really polite young kid. I have mixed feelings about it. But one thing about this sport, this career choice is that I’m always beating up my friends, and we do it every week,” said Leavitt. “So I can beat up an acquaintance for 15 minutes. Before the fights we’re business partners, for 15 minutes I’m going to hate you, ‘I’m trying to orphan your children,’ Sean Strickland-esque things, insert there, and then after the fight hopefully we can be friends. We’ll see.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 82 media day appearance by Jordan Leavitt above.

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