Arnold Allen hails Leon Edwards as the best UFC fighter from the U.K., 'Rocky' responds

Arnold Allen believes Leon Edwards is the most skilled fighter the United Kingdom has ever produced.

Allen took on Dan Hooker in the co-main event of the recently concluded UFC London event. The understated Englishman came away with a first-round TKO victory to extend his unbeaten run in the UFC.

Leading up to the fight against Hooker, Allen trained with Edwards at the Team Renegade gym in Birmingham. Following his impressive victory, many hailed the rising featherweight contender as the best English fighter in the UFC. However, 'Almighty' refuted such claims and handed the credit to 'Rocky' instead.

During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Allen said:

“No, I think Leon Edwards is the best [fighter from the United Kingdom]. Having sparred with him, he’s the best. That man’s a different level… We sparred a few rounds and it helped me a lot.”

Allen moved up to the No.6 spot in the 145 lbs rankings following his win over Dan Hooker at the O2 Arena in London this past weekend. The Englishman is riding an 11-fight win streak in his pro MMA career and will be looking to break into the top five with another win.

Meanwhile, Edwards is reportedly set to fight for the UFC welterweight title later this year.

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Leon Edwards already sees a trilogy fight with Kamaru Usman

While in London, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Leon Edwards has finally earned his shot at reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The rivalry between the pair dates back to December 2015 when 'The Nigerian Nightmare' outpointed 'Rocky' at UFC on Fox 17.

Watch the highlights of the first fight between Usman and Edwards below:

Ahead of the rematch, Edwards is confident that he can avenge his loss to Usman, setting up a possible trilogy bout. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, he said:

“When I go out there and beat him, like I said, he’s been a dominant champion for a little while now, so when I got out there and take the belt off him, I can see No. 3 happening straight away. And from there, we figure out what’s next.”

Watch Edwards' interview with MMA Junkie below: