The back-and-forth between middleweight king Dricus du Plessis and one UFC 318 fighter has continued.
All eyes are on the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view event, as Dustin Poirier makes the walk one last time in front of his home fans in Louisiana.
While most of the attention during UFC 318 fight week has been on Poirier’s retirement fight against Max Holloway, the BMF champion, he is not the only local favorite set to be in action at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center.
Closing out the preliminary card will be Brendan Allen, another Louisiana native, who is tasked with defeating former title challenger Marvin Vettori if he is to avoid the first three-fight losing skid of his professional career.
Hours out from their clash, Allen hasn’t exactly received a supportive message from his division’s champion…
Dricus du Plessis and Allen have long exchanged heated words on social media and during interviews. The pair’s disdain for each other has been clear ever since they ran into each other at Sanford’s Kill Cliff FC gym.
The South African made a joke about Allen’s tattoo by asking if the religious “1:2-7” ink was the American’s MMA record, which did not go down well.
‘All In’ has not shied away from criticizing Du Plessis in the years that have followed, including when it comes to his rise toward the middleweight title.
“Up until that point (the Robert Whittaker win), we can definitely, easily, 1,000 percent fact say that he had the easy road, and he was losing every single one of those fights until he came back and got the finish,” Allen told MMA Junkie.
“Some of those were lucky. Marcus Perez, (Du Plessis) was losing that fight, and (Perez) was beating him so easily that he threw a spinning back elbow at the same time that (Du Plessis) was throwing a body shot and hit him in the chin. I don’t think it gets any more lucky than that.”
Du Plessis has not forgotten those remarks, and after Allen’s two consecutive losses that have preceded UFC 318, the champ once again used it against his rival.
“@BrendanAllenMMA I’m sending you some of my luck tonight, you need it more than me,” Du Plessis wrote on X. “Still rooting for @MarvinVettori because Brendan’s always been a d — to me and it seems like I was right about the tattoo.”
Given how Du Plessis reacted to the first defeat on Allen’s losing skid, it’s safe to say the American can expect more mockery from the champ if he fails to win again at UFC 318.
Du Plessis trolled Allen after UFC Paris, faking a message of support to rub salt into the wounds after ‘All In’ was outpointed by Nassourdine Imavov.
“Tough luck Brendan Allen,” the South African wrote on X, before adding, “JK you suck loser (laughing emoji)”
With the champ enjoying the upper hand in their verbal battle due to Allen’s recent losses, the American will look to begin his road toward a long-awaited grudge match with ‘Stillknocks’ by returning to winning ways against Vettori in New Orleans.
