Brendan Allen defended his top five ranking at UFC Vegas 118, handily defeating Edmen Shahbazyan in the evening’s co-main event.

Things started relatively slowly in the opening round, with things being even yet uneventful. Shahbazyan showed some solid takedown defense as Allen looked to get things to the ground, but he failed to get his striking going throughout the first five minutes.

It was more of the same in the second, with Allen landing the more impactful shots. Shahbazyan started to open up, keeping himself neck-and-neck with Allen in total significant strikes, but it was Allen who walked away with a 2-0 lead after the first two stanzas.

The third round was the most competitive between the two, but a late takedown from Allen sealed the victory, securing his spot in the middleweight top five.

Official Result: Brendan Allen def. Edmen Shahbazyan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Check Out Highlights From Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 118:

Craig Pekios

Craig Pekios is a freelance writer born and raised in Bettendorf, IA. Joining LowKick MMA in May 2022, Craig has more than 4,000 articles published that focus on the world of MMA and boxing, including news, event previews, results, analysis, and op-eds.