Allen vs Craig

Who won Allen vs Craig?

Brendan Allen beat Paul Craig by submission in the 3rd round during the main event of UFC Fight Night – Allen vs Craig, on Saturday 18th November 2023 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 5 rounds in the Middleweight division, which meant the weight limit was 185 pounds (13.2 stone or 83.9 KG).

Allen vs Craig stats

Brendan Allen stepped into the octagon with a record of 22 wins, 5 losses and 0 draws, 5 of those wins coming by the way of knock out and 13 by submission.

Paul Craig made his way to the cage with a record of 17 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw, 4 of those wins coming by knock out and 13 by submission.

This was Brendan Allen's 16th fight in the UFC, having made his debut for the promotion in 2019. Paul Craig marked his 20th fight for them, having made his own debut for the promotion in 2016.

Brendan Allen's UFC record stood at 12-4-0, while Paul Craig's came in at 9-9-1.

The stats suggested Craig had a slight advantage in power over Allen, with a 24% knock out percentage over Allen's 23%.

If the fight went to the ground, their records suggested Craig had an advantage over Allen, with a 76% submission rate over Allen's 59%.

Brendan Allen was the younger man by 8 years, at 29 years old.

Craig had a height advantage of 1 inch over Allen. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.

Allen was arguably the more experienced fighter, having had 3 more fights, and made his debut in 2015, 1 year and 11 months later than Craig, whose first professional fight was in 2013. He had fought 24 more professional rounds, 71 to Craig's 47.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Paul Craig had been fighting more than Brendan Allen.

Going to this contest, Brendan Allen had last fought 6 years, 4 months and 11 days ago, while Paul Craig's last outing had been 7 years, 11 months and 17 days ago.

What were the odds on Allen vs Craig?

Brendan Allen was a 11/50 (-450) favourite going into the contest, while Paul Craig made his way into the ring at 7/2 (+350) with oddsmakers.