Middleweight contender Allen will face long-time roster member Edmen Shahbazyan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 118 on Sat., June 6, 2026, after a previously discussed bout with former champion Dricus du Plessis failed to materialize.
Allen, currently ranked No. 4 at middleweight, enters the matchup on a two-fight win streak over Marvin Vettori and Reinier de Ridder. Shahbazyan, an unranked boxer who has been on the UFC roster for nearly a decade, steps into a high-profile spot opposite the surging contender.
Allen says he was initially lined up for a showdown with du Plessis before plans changed. “It was supposed to be a done deal in January. I was told it was a done deal. Me and Dricus was done and then they said he got hurt and he’s not fighting until July. And I was, at that time, it was supposed to be like around May that I was told that I would fight him. So I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to wait, who’s next?‘ Or maybe it was end of April, I don’t even know. I think it may have been end of April, some somewhere in April, yeah, because then it got moved to May, then they said he got hurt."
According to Allen, multiple other options were pursued before he accepted Shahbazyan. “I asked for many other guys, those didn’t come to fruition. I got sick of waiting, sick of waiting, needed the money, and I took the guy who was on a win streak and didn’t have a fight.”
