Brendan Allen's submission victory over Christian Leroy Duncan in the UFC Vegas 122 main event on October 10 has sharpened focus on his next middleweight bout, with the 28-7 contender explicitly calling out former champion Dricus Du Plessis as the only matchup that makes sense due to longstanding verbal exchanges and scheduling history. Allen, now riding a strong recent streak that includes wins over Edmen Shahbazyan and Reinier de Ridder, plans to sit out the remainder of 2026 before targeting a 2027 date. This timeline and Du Plessis's own title contention keep the implied probability for that pairing at the front of trader consensus, while Caio Borralho and Joe Pyfer remain viable alternatives amid a crowded division. Multiple other middleweight options stay closely bunched as no official booking has been announced, reflecting uncertainty around availability, rankings movement, and UFC matchmaking priorities.