A matchup between Allen and du Plessis was reportedly in the works
in January. According to Allen, the bout fell through after he was
told du Plessis was injured. Du Plessis went on to face former

Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Kamaru
Usman in July, winning by unanimous decision.

Brendan Allen explains why he believes he was a tougher
opponent than Kamaru Usman

Allen has accused du Plessis of avoiding him in favor of an easier
fight against Usman. “All In†acknowledges that the 39-year-old
former welterweight champion remains a bigger draw. However, Allen
believes he presents a tougher matchup, prompting du Plessis to
take the “easier fight.â€

“I know he's had the opportunity to fight me and he took the easier
route,†Allen told UFC on Paramount+. “He can say whatever he
wants; it's a fact. We were supposed to fight. And somehow it got
worked that Kamaru's name got thrown in there. And obviously Kamaru
is a bigger draw even though he's older, up a weight class. He took
the easier fight, plain and simple. Everyone knows it was the
easier fight. I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster. I think I'm
more talented, but people are gonna play off of Kamaru's resume.
OK, play off his resume, but I don't think that Kamaru can make it
five rounds with me.â€

Allen (27-7) enters his
UFC Vegas 122 main event against Christian
Leroy Duncan (15-2) on Saturday in Las Vegas with three
consecutive victories. Duncan has won five straight fights.

Let me start with what this isn't:

What is your pick for the highest level fight we have ever seen inside the cage?

This can be:

• A fight with to guys at the absolute peak of their powers (Cejudo vs MM, Dillashaw vs Cruz, Jones vs Cormier)

• A fight that had an insane technical level between both guys that blew your mind (Evloev vs Sterling comes to mind)

Have a little fun with it and as always disagree vehemently but respectfully! 🫡

Hines was scheduled to face Gabriel
Lourenco in a heavyweight bout at
UFC Fight Night 293 on Nov. 7 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
However, Hines has announced his withdrawal from the fight because
of vertigo.

Alvin Hines withdraws from UFC Fight Night 293 against Gabriel
Lourenco

Hines plans to continue training with adjustments while recovering
from vertigo and hopes to return to competition at full
strength.

“I had to pull out of this one for medical reasons due to vertigo,â€
Hines wrote on Instagram. “It wasn't an easy decision, but I know I
need to be able to step into that Octagon at 100% and perform to my
true potential. I'm going to continue fight camp with some
adjustments while I work through this and get myself back to where
I need to be. I'm not walking away from the fight. I'm taking the
time to get right so when I'm back in there, I can put on the kind
of fight I know I'm capable of. I'm sorry for the change, and I
appreciate everyone who was looking forward to seeing me compete.
Trust me, I'll be back. Sometimes the hardest part of fighting
isn't throwing punches. It's knowing when to step back, get right,
and prepare for the next battle. This is just a setback. Not the
end of the story.â€

Hines (7-2) was an undefeated prospect with six finishes in seven
victories when he signed with the UFC last year. However, “Goozieâ€
has lost both of his Octagon appearances. Meanwhile, Lourenco (8-1)
was slated to make his promotional debut against Hines after
earning a contract with a first-round knockout victory over Charlie
Cleveland on
Dana White's Contender Series in September.