Kicking off the main card of UFC 324 this past Saturday was a really fun matchup in the featherweight division. Top contenders battled it out as Jean Silva (17-3) took on the returning Arnold Allen (20-4).
Arnold Allen had to take a year and a half off to recover from surgery so many weren’t sure what to expect from him on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Silva was coming off his first loss inside the octagon so there were also questions there.
From the opening bell, these two got after it. Allen was doing a really good job of mixing up his strikes and it seemed like he was landing the better combinations. However, it was also clear that it felt like Silva was landing more power throughout the three rounds.
Entering the final round, I had the fight 1-1 and Silva put on a show. He was landing the much bigger shots and he seemed to hurt Allen a couple of times. When the final bell sounded, it was clear that Silva won and he earned the unanimous decision at UFC 324.
What’s next after UFC 324?
This was a huge win for Jean Silva. With Diego Lopes fighting Alexander Volkanovski for the title in this weekend’s main event at UFC 325, you know that Silva was just one win away in September from a title shot. With this win over Allen, he’s right back in the mix at the top of the division.
Rumors have been spreading that Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev are going to fight in London in March. My guess is the winner of that fight is going to face the winner of Volk – Lopes 2. With that, Silva should target a summer return in a potential title eliminator.
I think the UFC should look at matchups like Silva taking on former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling or perhaps a fight with former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez.
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