Brendan Allen submitted Christian Leroy Duncan in the fifth round in Las Vegas to derail the Briton’s middleweight title aspirations.
Duncan, 31, came into the fight on a five-fight win streak and had said that he was eyeing a title bout next should he beat Allen in convincing fashion.
After a back-and-forth encounter which left both fighters hopeful of securing victory in the final round, it was Allen who got his hand raised after securing a rear-naked choke.
It is the 30-year-old American who is now targeting Sean Strickland’s belt after he extended his winning streak to four.
“I think we’ll be rewarded next,” said Allen.
“I’m doing what I need to do. Where’s the champion? If not, where’s Dricus [Du Plessis]? He’s been running for a while.”
Duncan came into the contest 10th in the UFC’s middleweight rankings after earning a victory over former title challenger Jared Cannonier in July.
Duncan was the busier striker of the two throughout, landing 138 shots to Allen’s 80, but the American prevailed in most of the grappling exchanges.
An eye poke in the second round which led to a deducted point likely meant Duncan needed a finish in the final round, but it proved non-consequential anyway as Allen secured his eighth submission in the UFC.
Victory extended the fifth-ranked middleweight’s record to 28 wins and seven defeats, while Duncan suffered the third loss of his 18-fight career.
There was victory for fellow Briton Jai Herbert in the co-main event as he secured a unanimous decision win over Brazilian lightweight Matheus Camilo.
It was the 38-year-old’s third win in four UFC fights, while Camilo suffered his second defeat in the promotion after triumphing in his two previous encounters.