Top 15 Middleweights will finally clash this summer.
MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today that No. 10-ranked Marvin Vettori will collide with No. 11-seeded Brendan Allen at UFC 318 on July 19, 2025, inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Middleweight contenders were slated to meet at UFC Vegas 90, but Vettori pulled out weeks before the bout. Tensions boiled over four months later when their heated trash talk erupted into a brawl at a Florida casino (details here).
This fight carries serious bad blood.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Vettori (19-8-1) faces a formidable challenge while grappling with personal tragedy, having recently lost his younger brother in a devastating house fire.
The 31-year-old Italian is riding the first two-fight losing streak of his career, losing to Roman Dolidze in his most recent outing, and getting destroyed byJared Cannonier before that.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Allen (24-7) gets his long-awaited homecoming, fighting in front of a Louisiana crowd.
Like Vettori, the Louisiana native is also on a two-fight losing streak. “All-In” fell short in a competitive decision against Anthony Hernandezat UFC Seattle in February and struggled in a lackluster defeat to current No. 1-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.
With this grudge match added, checkout the current UFC 318 card:
Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3
Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci
Islam Dulatov vs. Adam Fugitt
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
