Allen vs. – On Saturday, June 6, 2026, No. 4-ranked middleweight contender Allen meets unranked Edmen Shahbazyan in the UFC Vegas 118 co-main event—an opponent change Allen says came after his planned matchup with former champion Dricus du Plessis never materialized.
By the time UFC Vegas 118 rolls around this weekend, Allen will be walking into the co-main event with a version of his plan that didn’t happen—and a grudge he’s still trying to settle.
Saturday, June 6, 2026 at UFC Vegas 118, No. 4-ranked middleweight contender Allen is set to take a significant step down the ladder. He will face unranked boxer Edmen Shahbazyan in the co-main event.
There’s a reason the move stands out. Usually. when a Top 5-ranked contender fights outside the rankings. something is driving it—losing streaks. or an unranked fighter rapidly climbing to superstardom. Allen’s situation doesn’t fit that script. He is riding an excellent two-fight win streak over Marvin Vettori and Reinier de Ridder. while Shahbazyan has been on the roster for nearly a decade.
Allen’s explanation for why he accepted the fight isn’t about a decline in performance. It’s about the months-long pull of a different opportunity—and the frustration of watching it slip away.
Allen said his motivation was activity: he wanted to fight former champion Dricus du Plessis. He described being in talks to face du Plessis and said the matchup felt settled—until it didn’t.
“He posted training videos the next week, so I don’t know. I kind of think I was a little bit finessed, to be honest with you,” Allen told MMA Fighting. “I’m not saying it was by anyone in particular, but that’s what I feel.”
Allen said he was told the du Plessis fight was supposed to be completed in January and that after being informed du Plessis was injured and wouldn’t fight until July. his own timeline kept shifting. According to Allen, the expectation was initially around May, then it moved, and he said the uncertainty snowballed.
Because du Plessis didn’t appear, Allen said he tried to pivot. He asked for “Stillknocks,” but that bout never came to fruition. He also said he reached out to fight Usman, framing it as the next logical option once du Plessis’ injury was supposed to keep him out.
“And then I asked for Usman. Like, let me fight Usman then, since [du Plessis’] hurt, he’s ready to go, let me fight him,” Allen said. “I want to fight him. Let me fight him.”
Allen added that none of those alternatives came together, and the waiting wore him down. He said he “got sick of waiting,” “needed the money,” and decided to take the fight that was available—one with an opponent on a win streak and who didn’t require a long detour.
As Allen put it, he “took the guy who was on a win streak and didn’t have a fight.”
The du Plessis booking still hasn’t surfaced. Currently, du Plessis remains unbooked, though it’s heavily rumored he’ll be facing Usman next. For Allen, the clash with Shahbazyan isn’t just another step up the UFC ladder. If he wins on Saturday. he said hope remains alive that he can eventually settle the grudge with du Plessis inside the Octagon.
What Allen is describing is a simple turning point: he didn’t back away from the challenge—he searched for it. When the du Plessis fight kept slipping past the windows Allen was told to expect. he kept trying to find a substitute. and eventually chose to fight rather than freeze. That’s the pressure underneath the ranking math in the co-main event: a highly ranked fighter. a solid streak. and a timeline that ran out—while the fighter he wanted still isn’t on the books.
UFC Vegas 118 Allen Edmen Shahbazyan UFC middleweight Dricus du Plessis Marvin Vettori Reinier de Ridder Usman MMA news
So he fought someone unranked instead of du Plessis? That sounds like a duck move.
I don’t get why he’s mad if he still has a win streak. Like just win again lol. Also Shahbazyan been around forever so not like he’s brand new.
Sounds like he got “finessed” but how do you even know? Fighters talk a lot. If du Plessis posted training videos then yeah maybe it changed, but coulda been injuries or contract nonsense. Either way taking a step down is a little weird for #4.
Allen saying he was told du Plessis fight would be done in January… and then it didn’t… makes me think the UFC just drags things out on purpose. Like they want the storyline to stall until the PPV schedule lines up. Then he’s co-main now?? I swear every time someone talks about “months-long opportunity” it’s always somebody else’s fault lol.