UFC Seattle results: Anthony Hernandez outgrapples Brendan Allen to win unanimous decision

Anthony Hernandez displayed a high-level grappling attack to stifle and suffocate Brendan Allen across three rounds to win a unanimous decision in the UFC Seattle co-main event.

While he definitely had some dicey moments in the fight, Hernandez just consistently found a way to drag Allen to the canvas and control him there while searching for submissions. That pressure and control led to 29-28 scorecards across the board as Hernandez secured the win — his second over Allen after the first met seven years ago — which marked his seventh consecutive victory in the octagon.

“I got to prove what I knew that I could shut him down this time,” Hernandez said after his latest performance. “It’s good to come out and show what I can do. Last time he f*cked me up with the kicks so I didn’t want that to happen again. He kept fighting. He’s a tough motherf*cker.

“Whoever’s ahead of me. Give me someone that’s going to prove I’m ready for the title.”

Almost as soon as the fight got started, Allen uncorked a head kick that rattled off Hernandez’s head and then he immediately turned to his grappling but that actually allowed his opponent time to recover. From there, Hernandez secured a takedown of his own as he started searching for submissions but he couldn’t maintain control and Allen was able to reverse positions to land on top.

Allen started hammering away with punches and elbows before nearly locking on the rear-naked choke but Hernandez was able to scramble free. Hernandez surviving gave him the chance to turn the tables in the second round as he took Allen to the canvas and nearly snatched a guillotine choke.

While Allen continued to resist, Hernandez nearly wrapped up a rear-naked choke of his own but again the high level grappling exchanges continued. Once again, Allen found a way to score a reversal and he was back on top of Hernandez looking for the submission.

It was short-lived success when Allen attempted to take the back and he actually slipped off, which allowed Hernandez to regain control on the ground.

With five minutes remaining, Allen’s coaches implored him to do more damage and avoid going for submissions and the advice worked when the final round started. Allen connected with hard left hook that put Hernandez on his back foot as he grabbed his face, trying to avoid further damage.

Allen got a little over aggressive and that allowed Hernandez the time to recover before eventually looking for the takedown again. Once again, Hernandez was just pressing down on Allen, never allowing him a second to breathe as he maintained control on the ground.

The fight ended with Hernandez dropping elbows to secure the win while likely vanquishing Allen for the final time after moving to 2-0 against him in their careers.

The performance also helps Hernandez move forward as a very interesting contender in the middleweight division, especially at a time when reigning champion Dricus du Plessis is searching for new competition.