“I’m just me,” is what #9 middleweight Brendan Allen had said in 2024 to the UFC. But maybe this is the reason he is unstoppable. Even if he had to take a longer road to success, he goes “all in” to achieve it. Allen is a force to be reckoned with in the UFC as the 26-6-0 fighter sits in the top 10 in the rankings.

With a penchant for aggressive grappling style and rear-naked choke submissions, he gives everything to his fight with incredible resilience. His moniker  ‘All In’ which rhymes a little with his surname (Allen), is perfect for his image, don’t you think? But what does it mean to him?

Why is Brendan Allen called ‘All In’?

Even though he has been a pro since 2015, Allen’s moniker was not created by his coach or trainees. He had the nickname way before that and interestingly it was given to him when he was just 16 years old. According to what he said to UFC, his friend had given him the moniker. Allen said, “My friend Ben Peco gave it to me when I was about 16.”

It’s a perfect nickname for the middleweight star as it represents his aggressive fighting style where he is not afraid to take risks and goes all in for high percentage submission attempts. Allen puts everything on the line when he steps inside the octagon and is not afraid to take high-risk chances. His downplaying of the knee jury during his fight with Paul Craig is an example of his grit. Allen had his sixth straight win by tapping out Paul Craig with a rear-naked choke in UFC Vegas 82’s main event, but not without injury.

“I wasn’t expecting him to go for my legs,” Allen said during the UFC Vegas 82 post-fight presser. He casually stated that he could feel “things were popping”. Allen downplayed his injury stating, “Again, I’ve been in a lot of positions like that. I’ve been popped in tournaments and stuff like that growing up, so I knew there was nothing left as far as extension-wise. So I was fine, but it’s a little sore right now.” Once he witnessed MMA, thanks to his brother, he knew what his calling was. And the rest is history.

How did Brendan Allen start fighting?

Born to Michelle and James Allen of Louisiana on December 28, 1995, Allen’s career in MMA began when he saw his elder brother taking a Jiu-Jitsu class. The young man decided to join the same academy to train himself in BJJ at 13. Apart from that, Allen gives credit to UFC events for his interest in combat sports, “I watched UFC on TV while I was playing football,” Allen told MMASucka.

He further added in the interview that his brother was the catalyst for his interest in MMA. “One day my brother’s friend offered to come try a class. So, my dad, brother, and I did, and I signed up right then. It’s history from there,” he said, “Since then he started training and then competing in Mississippi in boxing and wrestling.”

However, he also had a degree in Criminal Justice but his true calling was always MMA.  He s͏o͏on͏ began t͏o train in mixe͏d m͏artial a͏r͏t͏s at͏͏ ͏͏Cleme͏͏nt͏i’s G͏la͏d͏iator Acade͏͏my. ͏After that came cons͏ecutive vict͏͏ori͏e͏s͏ i͏n͏ th͏͏e ͏͏͏͏2͏0͏15͏ I͏͏MMAF Amat͏e͏ur M͏iddl͏ewe͏͏͏i͏g͏ht ͏Cha͏͏mpionship. ‘Al͏l͏ In͏’ finally re͏cog͏nized i͏t͏ ͏͏͏was ͏time t͏o ͏͏pur͏s͏u͏e a pr͏ofes͏s͏ional fight͏ing c͏are͏er.

After some fights in other promotions, he was finally signed with the UFC when he defeated Aaron Jeffery in the Dana White contender series. Now he is coming back into the cage against #12 Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song (also known as UFC Fight Night 252 and UFC on ESPN+ 110). Are you excited to see him give his everything for this fight? Tell us in the comments below.