Arnold Allen’s ten-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC finally came to an end after getting overwhelmed by the pressure and accuracy of former featherweight champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway at UFC Kansas City.
According to UFC president Dana White, Allen’s corner team was a big reason for the Englishmen’s defeat. Criticizing Allen’s corner team led by Firas Zahabi, White said “I’m not a corner man or a coach, but yeah, I think there should’ve been a sense of urgency earlier,” But I’m not a corner man.”
Think we see these two run it back in the future? @BlessedMMA and @ArnoldBFA put on a show at #UFCKansasCity pic.twitter.com/tq13tChmbH
— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023
It was a highly anticipated match up between two of the top contenders in the featherweight division and about as strong a main event as you’re probably likely to see on a UFC Fight Night card. Allen who is currently ranked 4th in the featherweight division did show incredible heart against a veteran like Holloway.
Arnold did look a bit out of place in the first few rounds as Holloway’s stand-up game is high level. As the fight progressed both Allen and Holloway got into some serious rhythm, as the pace of the fight just kept increasing. Holloway, at the mid-point of the second round also became the first fighter in UFC history to land 3000 significant strikes.
Allen did land some solid left hooks of his own but was never able to capitalize big on them. As the fight progressed to the fifth round, the Brit had to go for the kill as he was down at least three rounds on all cards. He did push the pace in the last five minutes but never got the finish.
How did Dana White react to Arnold Allen’s performance?
Although Dana White did criticize Allen’s corner, the UFC president had high praise for the rising British Star. White said,
“I think that Allen looked incredible, I mean, if you think about it, it’s his first big night ever in a main event, whole crowd’s against him, and he came on too late. If he had fought the way he fought in the fifth round from the third round on, he would’ve had a better chance to win the fight.”
He added, “I don’t care about the guys who necessarily get out there and talk or do anything else. In this business, it’s all about how you fight. Are you good enough?” White said.
“Let me tell you about how hard it is to break in the top five, especially in that weight class. And he has, and he’s a talented guy. I think that there were a lot of mistakes made tonight in the corner. Obviously he’s got that experience under his belt now. They’ve got to go back and figure out what went wrong, what was broken, and fix it. He’s a talented kid.”
Do you see Arnold jumping back from this defeat? Share your thoughts below!
