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.
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.