Brendan Allen Tips His Hat to Strickland on Fighter Pay, Then Catches Himself

Brendan Allen just submitted Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 122 and put himself one win from a probable title shot. You'd think he'd be riding high. Instead, he spent part of his post-fight press conference walking a tightrope between honesty and self-preservation.

Asked about Sean Strickland's public crusade for better UFC pay, Allen didn't dodge. "If you look at the scope of things based on the statistics that are out there, we are underpaid," Allen said, per Sherdog. "Hats off to Sean for speaking for trying to get more money."

But Allen made clear he isn't about to join the picket line. "You'll never hear me bitch about my pay," he said. "I like my paycheck. I need that shit."

The fourth-ranked middleweight explained that fighters who are financially secure enough to not need the UFC can speak freely. He can't. Allen described himself as "just a dumb redneck from Louisiana" and said he doesn't want to seem greedy or risk being "cancelled, at least from the bosses."

Strickland, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, has spent weeks criticizing the promotion's pay structure. His rematch negotiations with Nassourdine Imavov stalled over money, and he has floated the idea of vacating his belt to pursue boxing.

Allen extended his winning streak to four with the submission of Duncan and is now positioned as a top contender at 185 pounds. Whether that next fight is against Strickland, Dricus du Plessis, or someone else, Allen wants the payday that comes with it, even if he's too careful to demand one publicly.