Who will Arnold Allen fight next? 'Almighty' claims next opponent is more credible than interim featherweight champion

Arnold Allen, the No. 4 ranked featherweight contender in the UFC, has emerged as one of the most promising prospects among the new wave of British talent. Hailing from Ipswich, a county in eastern England, Allen has amassed an impressive record since joining the UFC back in 2015.

'Almighty' has been on a tremendous run, maintaining a perfect 10-0 record in the UFC (19-1 overall). Allen has collected notable victories over MMA veterans such as Gilbert Melendez and top-ranked contenders such as Dan Hooker and Sodiq Yusuff in the process.

Watch his fight against Dan Hooker below:

Arnold Allen is scheduled to face former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway next, and he views Holloway as a more formidable opponent than interim champion Yair Rodriguez. Allen is slated to fight Holloway on April 15, 2023, in the UFC on ESPN+ 80 (UFC Fight Night 222) card at the T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.

Allen's point of view can be justified in light of the fact that Holloway has a win over Rodriguez. At UFC Vegas 42, Holloway and Rodriguez engaged in a back-and-forth contest which ultimately resulted in a unanimous decision victory for the Hawaiian.

Previewing his upcoming clash against Holloway in a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Arnold Allen stated:

"It was the matchup I was hoping for when they announced the interim fight. So I was kind of — not surprised, I was expecting it. But then the UFC doesn’t always do what you expect. Sometimes they come out of left field with something, and I’m like, ‘Hang on a minute, what’s going on there?' But in a way I was sort of relieved, because that was the next best option out there that wasn’t an interim title shot. For me, I think this is bigger than that opportunity, right?"

Skip to 7:50 for Arnold Allen's thoughts on the Max Holloway fight:

Yair Rodriguez recently laid hands on the interim 145-pound strap with a submission victory over Josh Emmett at UFC 284. He will most likely fight Alexander Volkanovski next, who fell short in his bid to become a two-division champion in the same event.

---

Arnold Allen believes that Max Holloway's history of wars inside the octagon will be a major influence in their next bout

Arnold Allen will face the biggest challenge of his career when he locks horns with Max Holloway later this year on April 15, 2023.

In the UFC, Holloway has earned a reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters. However, this reputation has come at a cost, as Holloway has sustained significant damage throughout the course of his fights.

Touching upon how the accumulated damage will play a factor in the forthcoming contest in a recent interview with Morning Kombat, Arnold Allen stated:

“He [ Max Holloway] is great. His mileage is going to catch up. It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you have 20 fights, when every fight is a back-and-forth, 50-50 war... Even when he’s been very dominant, he’s taken a lot of shots. The miles have got to add up."

Check out the full interview below: