Arnold Allen emerged victorious before a rabid home crowd at UFC London this weekend, demolishing New Zealand’s Dan Hooker barely halfway into the first round. The referee stoppage that declared Allen victorious came without Allen earning a single knockdown, but Allen himself told The MMA Hour it was the right thing to do.
“I think it was the right call. I can’t really see how Izzy can think that was early. The man himself didn’t complain, so that’s the biggest tell for me. All that’s gonna happen in that position, where he’s sort of curled up, is more shots landed, so I don’t know what’s Izzy’s thinking.”
Arnold Allen on Early Stoppage Allegation: “I Think It Was the Right Call”
Arnold Allen has maintained a fairly sparse schedule with the UFC. At this rate, he fights about once a year. At 28, he’s in his athletic prime, firmly positioned towards the top end of the UFC’s featherweight division. Surely a run at reigning champion Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski is in Allen’s future, but Allen himself is happy to maintain a more measured pace.
“It seems to be working. It seems to be going well. Before I fought for the UFC I fought, I think one year within 12 months I fought six times. So I do like being active but it seems to be working out.
When I signed I was probably out of my depth a little bit, so having that slow progression and being forced to slow my roll a little bit kind of worked out well. But I feel like my skills are now up there with the elite guys.”
Will Arnold Allen fight again this year, perhaps taking on the featherweight elite like Brian Ortega, or Calvin Kattar? “Someone was saying June but June’s definitely too soon for me, to be honest. August? This year.
Let’s start small. [Laughs]. This year. The weird thing is, obviously I haven’t been the most active, but now being in that top-five talk, those guys tend to fight once, twice a year. But obviously, I’m gonna fight this year.
I’ve got a couple little boo-boos on my hand but it shouldn’t be as bad as last time, hopefully.” Arnold Allen will need to take on elite competition in the near future if he stands a chance of competing at the highest level in one of the sport’s most heavily stacked weight divisions.
Do you think Arnold Allen can become England’s next UFC champion? Let us know in the comments.
