UFC featherweight Arnold Allen disagrees with the end result of UFC 284. Islam Makhachev retained his lightweight title over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Allen said he thought Volkanovski did enough to claim double champion status. Despite the loss, Arnold praised Volkanovski for his showing and how he handled his loss in Perth, Australia.
“I scored it for Volk. Rounds two, three and five,” Allen said. “He’s inspirational. Everything he does is what you want to see in your champion… The things he says after about not being afraid to fail, going out there and taking the opportunity. Yeah, you can not respect that guy.”
Allen also said that he believes there should be a rematch between Volkanovski and Makhachev for the lightweight title. If Volkanovski does win a rematch, Allen believes he’ll stay at lightweight.
Arnold Allen Has An Upcoming Fight Against A Former UFC Champion
The 29-year-old is scheduled to fight Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night on April 15. Holloway is a former UFC featherweight champion. He won the interim belt in December 2016 and went on to unify it against José Aldo at UFC 212. He defended the title three times before dropping it to current champion Volkanovski.
Allen is on a 12-fight unbeaten streak dating back to August 2014. He last defeated Calvin Kattar by TKO last October. He also has wins over Dan Hooker, Sodiq Yussuff, and Gilbert Melendez.
The England native spoke about Holloway and the damage he’s gained over his fighting career.
“He’s only human right? The damage has got to catch up to you. He’s not much older than me but he has been in a lot of crazy fights against top-tier athletes and he’s given a lot of damage but he always takes as much as gives as well,” Arnold said. “What you’re expecting from me is probably what I’m going to say. I’m expecting the best version, I’m preparing for the best, [and] I’m training for the best.”
