Two of the top UFC middleweights have been on a collision course that will finally come to a head at UFC 318 in New Orleans.
The second matchup for the promotion’s upcoming return to Louisiana has now been reported following the news that Dustin Poirier will challenge Max Holloway for the BMF title in the main event.
Frankly, Poirier’s retirement in a matchup that has previously produced one of the best fights that we have ever seen inside the Octagon is worth the price of admission alone.
Though we’re expecting things to be very friendly between ‘The Diamond’ and ‘Blessed’ based on what we have seen from them in the past, the same cannot be said for two middleweights who also have plenty of history with one another.
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Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen set to meet in top 15 middleweight clash at UFC 318
Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen are set to face off at UFC 318 on July 19 inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The matchup was first reported by MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin as both men look to rebound from back-to-back losses at 185-pounds.
They were set to face each other at UFC Vegas 90 on April 6 last year until Vettori withdrew from the fight due to an injury several weeks before the bout.
He was replaced by Chris Curtis who Allen defeated via split decision over five rounds but there was still a lot of animosity towards his originally scheduled opponent following several exchanges on social media.
This tension came to a head when both men were in attendance at a PFL Playoff event in Florida last August where they ended up coming to blows inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Several videos of the brawl landed on social media, showing Allen running at Vettori whilst throwing punches until the two men were separated by a large crowd.
They will now settle their differences inside the Octagon following what is sure to be a dramatic fight week between the two camps.
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UFC 318 is a must-win for both Marvin Vettori and Brendan Allen
Brendan Allen was on a seven-fight win streak before he suffered back-to-back losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Anthony Hernandez which significantly hurt his stock.
As for Marvin Vettori, who fought for the middleweight title in 2021, he returned from a near two-year hiatus this past March where he was defeated by Roman Dolidze, an opponent that he beat in March of 2023.
Though both men still hold top 15 rankings, this matchup could be a loser leaves town matchup for either of them in terms of competing at the highest level of the division.
With both stakes and bragging rights on the line in this 185-pound clash that both men have called for, this is a total no brainer booking from the UFC.