What’s next for Brendan Allen and Paul Craig after UFC Vegas 82?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 82, Brendan Allen took on Paul Craig in a battle between top-15 middleweights.

Allen entered the fight riding a five-fight win streak and was coming off a submission win over Bruno Silva back in June.

Paul Craig, meanwhile, was coming off a TKO win over Andre Muniz back in July in his middleweight debut, which also snapped a two-fight losing streak.

Ultimately, it was Brendan Allen who won by third-round submission as he dominated the fight from start to finish. Now, following the win, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the main event.

Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen extended his win streak to six as he dominated Paul Craig from start to finish at UFC Vegas 82.

Allen arguably had the best performance of his UFC tenure and solidified himself as a top-10 middleweight. Craig was ranked 13th at middleweight but did have success at light heavyweight, so it was a solid win.

With the stoppage win and being on a lengthy win streak, Allen deserves someone ranked ahead of him and should face Marvin Vettori next time out. The Italian is ranked fifth and coming off a one-sided loss to Jared Cannonier, so he will have to face someone ranked below him.

Paul Craig

Paul Craig is now 1-1 at middleweight, but still has a big name and should get some big fights, or face up-and-coming prospects.

The loss was tough for Craig as he was dominated by Brendan Allen at UFC Vegas 82. However, he still is a top-15 middleweight and a logical next fight is to face Anthony Hernandez who’s ranked 15th. Hernandez is 5-2 in the UFC and riding a four-fight win streak, so he deserves a chance to fight a big name which Craig is. The timing could work out for the two to fight in the first quarter of 2024.