Firmly entrenched as a Top 10 contender in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division,
Arnold
Allen undoubtedly plans to go as far as his talents take
him.
The
Tristar Gym product and
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship veteran will lock horns
with
Calvin
Kattar in the
UFC Fight Night 213 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Allen, 28, steps into the spotlight with the wind of an
11-fight winning streak in his sails. The Ipswich, England, native
has pieced together a perfect 9-0 record since he joined the UFC
roster a little more than seven years ago.
As Allen makes final preparations for perhaps his most significant
opportunity to date, a look at five of the many moments that have
come to define him:
1. Gut Check
Allen fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in his eighth
professional assignment, as he dropped a unanimous decision to
Marcin
Wrzosek in their Cage Warriors 69 featherweight feature on June
7, 2014 at The Forum in London. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Wrzosek executed a well-constructed gameplan by luring his
counterpart into clinches, pinning him to the fence and
methodically grinding away with short punches, all while making the
clock his ally. Perhaps sensing he was down on the scorecards in a
competitive fight, Allen struck for a takedown in the final minute
of the third round and transitioned to an arm-triangle in half
guard. However, the inability to clear his legs cost him some
valuable bite force on his squeeze, made the finish he needed all
but impossible and allowed Wrzosek to survive until the bell
sounded. It remains the only blemish on Allen’s resume.
2. A Deserved Promotion
So much for those dreaded Octagon jitters. Allen made certain his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut was memorable when he
submitted
Alan Omer with
a third-round guillotine choke as part of the UFC Fight Night 69
undercard on June 20, 2015 at the O2 World in Berlin. Omer checked
out 1:41 into Round 3. Allen met with adversity in the middle
stanza and passed the test. Omer paired a takedown with mild but
effective ground-and-pound, handled himself in the clinch and
racked up more than half a round of control time. Allen mounted his
response between rounds. He pressured Omer with punches at the
start of Round 3, negated a takedown, returned to his feet and
caught the guillotine on the transition. There was no escape. Omer
retreated to his back in a final bid to save himself but could not
break the Englishman’s vice-like grip.
3. Means of Separation
Allen continued his steady climb at 145 pounds when he eked out a
split decision over fellow prospect
Makwan
Amirkhani in an entertaining UFC Fight Night 107 featherweight
showcase on March 18, 2017 at the O2 Arena in London. Judges
Mark
Collett and
Paul
Sutherland struck 30-27 scorecards for Allen, while
Howard
Hughes saw it 29-28 for Amirkhani. The three-round affair was
marked by wild momentum swings. Amirkhani executed takedowns in all
three rounds and aggressively hunted chokes. Allen denied all his
advances, drained his gas tank and capitalized when the
SBG Ireland export overextended himself on the ground. He
reversed into top position on more than one occasion, achieved full
mount in the second round and wheeled to back late in the third,
where he slipped his arms underneath Amirkhani’s chin just as the
final horn sounded.
4. Out to Pasture
Time away from the cage did nothing to prepare onetime thoroughbred
Gilbert
Melendez for his encounter with the “Almighty,” who shut out
the former Strikeforce champion in their featured UFC 239 prelim on
July 6, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside
judges scored it 30-27 for Allen, who used a well-respected veteran
as a steppingstone at 145 pounds. In his first appearance in nearly
two years, Melendez could only survive. Allen picked him apart with
clean punching combinations to the body and head, chewed up his
lead leg with kicks and even mixed in a third-round takedown.
Melendez’s frustration was visible and only grew as the minutes
ticked away, a sense of resignation surrounding him. By the time it
was over, Allen had outlanded the
Cesar
Gracie protégé by a stunning 102-23 margin in significant
strikes.
5. No Hang-ups
Allen put forth a signature performance in the UFC Fight Night 204
co-main event, where he put away
City Kickboxing stalwart
Dan Hooker
with a first-round hailstorm of punches, knees and elbows at the O2
Arena in London. Hooker succumbed to blows 2:33 into Round 1. Allen
uncorked an overhand left that forced his adversary to retreat,
then started ripping power punches with both hands. Hooker tried to
shield himself, but the onslaught was relentless. Allen briefly
reset, followed an overhand right with a head kick and flurried
again. Hooker backtracked to the fence, where he was met with knees
and a volley of standing elbows that brought about the finish. It
was Allen’s first stoppage in almost four years.