Brendan Allen Pushes to Headline Against Imavov
Brendan Allen’s push for a bigger billing against Nassourdine Imavov became a talking point before the Paris card in 2024. Allen wanted the middleweight matchup to headline the card and publicly disputed how the fight was being arranged. The bout ultimately took place as a three-round co-main event on September 28, and Imavov won by unanimous decision.
Why Allen challenged the billing
In July 2024, Allen said he had been offered Imavov for the Paris event. He wanted the matchup to headline, pointing to his run of main events and objecting to traveling to France for a co-main slot. Allen also said a five-round version of the fight had been discussed and accused Imavov of not accepting it. Those were Allen’s public claims about the negotiations; the event was ultimately booked for three rounds. MMA Fighting reported Allen’s comments at the time.
Promoters placed Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis in the five-round main event, with Imavov vs. Allen underneath. On fight night, Imavov won all three judges’ scorecards 29–28. The official judges’ scorecards confirm the result and the co-main billing. The dispute over placement and round count was resolved by the booking; the fight itself gave Imavov the win.
What happened after Paris
Imavov followed the win with a second-round knockout of former champion Israel Adesanya in February 2025, then beat Caio Borralho by unanimous decision in September 2025. As of October 2026, the official Imavov profile lists Borralho as his latest recorded bout.
Allen’s first fight after the Paris loss was another unanimous-decision defeat, this time to Anthony Hernandez in February 2025. He then returned to winning form: his profile records victories over Marvin Vettori in July 2025, Reinier de Ridder in October 2025, and Edmen Shahbazyan on June 6, 2026. The last of those was a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it for Allen. See the official Brendan Allen profile.
A negotiation that preceded a meaningful result
The controversy began before fight night: Allen sought the headlining slot, while organizers kept Moicano vs. Saint Denis as the five-round main event and booked Imavov vs. Allen for three rounds. Imavov’s decision win settled the matchup itself, though it could not settle the debate over the card’s billing or the disputed five-round proposal.
Sources
- mmafighting.com
- ufc.com
