ARNOLD ALLEN was on the brink of becoming only the fifth Brit to fight for undisputed UFC gold before a cold April night in Kansas City.
Ten featherweights had all tried and failed to derail the East Anglian assassin’s 11-year dream of winning a title in MMA‘s top promotion when he rolled into town.
GETTYArnold Allen locked horns with future Hall-of-Famer Max Holloway last April[/caption]
GETTYThe Brit entered the biggest fight of his career on a ten-bout win streak[/caption]
GETTYAllen ended up suffering a decision defeat to the former featherweight champ[/caption]
GETTYThe ‘Almighty’ regrets not putting his foot on the gas earlier in the fight[/caption]
All that stood in front of him and the precipice of a future shot at greatness that night at the T-Mobile Center was a former long-time champion and future Hall-of-Famer in Max Holloway.
The fight had all the makings of a potential changing-of-the-guard moment given Holloway’s third straight loss to champion Alexander Volkanovski.
The Hawaiian, however, proved to be a bridge too far for Allen to cross and sent him back down the list of contenders with a decision victory.
Reflecting on the defeat, Allen admitted in an exclusive chat with SunSport: “It sucks, it sucks.
“But after a couple of weeks of licking my wounds and once I got back to the gym it was all systems go.
“It’s a motivator and a positive in the sense that now I want to do better.
“I don’t want to feel that feeling again.
“It lights a fire under you to make sure you fix the things you didn’t do.
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“And gives you that extra ten per cent where you maybe could have before. It’s a big motivator.”
Allen’s first UFC defeat was somewhat of his own doing due to his lack of output in the first three rounds, a fact he happily admits.
“It was the first time going five rounds,” the 29-year-old said. “I wasn’t the best physically. I’ve been fitter for other fights.
“And when you go against a guy that’s notoriously the cardio king of five rounds in your first actual going of the distance, you sort of question yourself.
“And you’re like, ‘I don’t want to fatigue against this guy, I don’t want to fatigue against this guy.’
“Three rounds had gone and I was like, ‘I feel pretty good, I feel pretty fresh.’
“It gives you the confidence to know that I can more than hang in there with the fittest guys in the division and I can push the pace and feel like I have rounds in the tank.
“Maybe there was too much respect on that end but I guess it’s the unknown. The hindsight would’ve been nice.”
Allen’s road back to title contention goes through Movsar Evloev, whom he faces on the main card of UFC 297 early on Sunday morning.
And like many others, he believes handing the Russian wrecking machine his first-ever loss will put him in contention to face the winner of Volkanovski’s title defence against Ilia Topuria next month.
Arnold Allen will bid to get back to winning ways against the undefeated Movsar EvloevGETTY
GETTYAllen is expecting a thought night out against the Russian wrecking machine[/caption]
“He’s gonna be a tough test,” Allen said of the former M-1 Global champion. “He’s looked really good doing it.
“But I think taking this scalp puts me straight back in that title picture.
“When they [the UFC] offered it, that was exactly my thoughts. That was the plan.”
Evloev is expected to lean heavily on his wrestling – which has been the foundation for his seven straight wins in the octagon – to further enhance his flawless resume.
And the chance to prove he can stave off the much revered Russian ground game is something that equally excites Allen as the opportunity to put himself back in the title mix.
He said: “I guess people would assume I’m gonna hit and move and box and move.
“But this is an MMA fight. I’m excited to show my full arsenal and my full game.
“I always feel I can adapt to the opponents I’m fighting.
“If I’m fighting a wrestler, I’ll fight as a counter-wrestler. If I’m fighting a striker maybe I’ll wrestle him.
“This is a good opportunity to show my good skillset.”
Arnold Allen is looking forward to experiencing that winning feeling againGETTY