A new contender at featherweight is beginning to emerge in the form of #6 ranked Arnold Allen. A 28 year old British fighter who currently holds an 18-1 record and has been dismantling opponents since turning pro in 2012. Allen has now fought for the UFC 9 times and has never tasted defeat. His last bout happened in March where he added another great fighter to his resume when he stopped Dan Hooker via TKO in the 1st round at UFC London Aspinall vs Volkov.
Michael Bisping was the last UFC champion the UK produced. We have seen a recent growth in future contenders, especially after the UFC fight night that occurred in London. Names like Tom Aspinall, Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblet have garnered all the attention and rightly so. They are all the new wave of brash outspoken fighters that can talk the talk and more importantly walk the walk. Yet something about Allen feels like we are witnessing the evolution of the next featherweight champion. While Allen may not be as outspoken or loud as some of the other names I’ve listed, his fighting does all the talking for him. That’s not to say he lacks personality or that his fights lack excitement, on the contrary, Allen is one of the most exciting fighters in his division and those 3 FOTN bonuses and 10 career stoppages prove just that.
Allen fights at 145, which happens to be one of the most contested and difficult divisions in the UFC. The current champ Volkanovski is a monster and is currently on an incredible win streak while continuously adding names to his resume, he most recently ran over The Korean Zombie with ease. Now Arnold is a fighter that has one of the best gas tanks in his division and has had his chin tested by some of the best strikers on earth, he has passed the test on more than one occasion and is looking to be ready to face the top 5 of his division.
Several pivotal matchups are coming up for Allen who has captured the attention of the UFC brass, fights vs Brian Ortega, Calvin Kattar or even Max Holloway are in the horizon for the fighter who seems to be nearing his prime. Allen trains with legendary coach and Tri-Star gym owner Firas Zahabi, who has helped Allen’s striking game tremendously. As an athlete Arnold has shown the dedication and love of the sport that is required to reach Champ status. As long as he stays focused and given an opportunity (for his skills, not talking) to fight for the belt one day, we could see the next British champion.
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