Preview: UFC Seattle ‘Cejudo vs. Song’

Middleweights

Anthony Hernandez (13-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Brendan Allen (24-6, 12-3 UFC)

ODDS: Hernandez (-278), Allen (+225)

Hernandez continues to lurk as the dark horse of the UFC’s middleweight division, and “Fluffy” might break into title contention with a win here. Hernandez had an unremarkable start to his UFC career. A dedicated wrestler whose lack of defense could get him finished, he lost two of his first three UFC bouts and seemed set to slide out of the promotion, particularly when the company matched him with ace grappler Rodolfo Vieira. Instead, Hernandez authored one of the most stunning upsets in UFC history, particularly in terms of method of finish. He managed to escape submission after submission and outscramble Vieira to the point that he left the Brazilian absolutely exhausted, at which point he locked a guillotine choke to somehow earn a submission finish of his own. It’s a memorable enough result that it has carried Hernandez’s reputation through some long injury layoffs; and for his part, Hernandez has lived up to that performance every time he has been able to make it into the cage. Hernandez can start off slow and still gets hit, but he’s consistently bent but not broken and been able to stage a comeback. His October main event win against Michel Pereira was his most impressive performance yet, losing a one-sided first round but eventually turning the rest of the fight into the most extended beatdown of 2024. For his next test, Hernandez takes on a former regional foe in Allen, who has recently completed a similar run in a similar fashion.

Unlike Hernandez, Allen hit the ground running in the UFC, winning his first three bouts—two by submission—while showing off a surprisingly effective grappling game. Allen would immediately look to take his opponents to the mat even when that seemed like a bad idea, but he would keep overachieving and proving himself right. That eventually hit a ceiling against opponents like Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis who could pick Allen apart on the feet, but “All In” eventually developed a credible enough striking game to mix things up, even if his wrestling and grappling is still the core of his game. He was able to blow through fellow grapplers Andre Muniz and Paul Craig as part of a seven-fight winning streak and even improved enough to eke out a narrow win in a Curtis rematch. However, a September loss to Nassourdine Imavov was damaging for Allen’s title hopes. Allen got out to a strong start with a wrestling-heavy first round, but Imavov eventually adjusted and stalled him out. At that point, Allen didn’t seem to have much of a backup plan. It’s easy to see this fight playing out similarly, particularly since it’s also the same script that marked the first fight between Allen and Hernandez. Allen got out to a hot start and got the better of a wrestling-heavy first round against Hernandez. By Round 2, Hernandez was clearly the fresher and more effective fighter on the mat and rode his way to victory. Allen has made enough improvements on the margins—particularly on the feet—that a win here wouldn’t be a shock, particularly now that Hernandez only has three rounds with which to work. Still, Hernandez has already won this bout once, so the safer bet is that he will do it again. The pick is Hernandez via decision.

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Cejudo vs. Song
Hernandez vs. Allen
Font vs. Matsumoto
Silva vs. Baghdasaryan
Menifield vs. Walker
The Prelims