Key Stats: 1.42 takedowns per 15 minutes, 2.4 submissions per 15 minutes, 35% striking defense
What It Means: Allen is a savvy and strong grappler with good defensive and offensive jiu-jitsu. When on top, Allen is strong with his pressure and can do some real damage with his ground-and-pound. If his opponent relaxes, he sweeps quickly and threatens with submissions, usually by taking his opponent’s back and sinking in a choke. If he’s on the bottom, he has an active guard that he’ll use to reverse positions. His striking is decent, and he mixes it in before engaging along the fence. In the clinch, he can use his long frame to connect with knees up high or post off his opponent’s face before landing a crunching elbow.
What to Look For in the Fight: Heinisch is more striking-inclined, whereas Allen prefers the fight to hit the mat, but both fighters are well-rounded enough to manage the situation if it falls out of their favor. That said, it’ll be a clash of dueling goals, so how Heinisch’s defensive grappling holds up and how Allen fares on the feet is going to be indicative of how this fight will probably go. Both are finish-minded and aggressive until the end of the fight, so this is a quality test for a pair of middleweights vying for the top 10 sooner than later.
*Hasn’t competed enough in current weight class to qualify in UFC Record Book
