This evening we learned that the UFC is booking a banger of a main event in their featherweight division. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report earlier this evening that former featherweight champion Max Holloway (23-7) will be returning to take on the surging Arnold Allen (19-1).
The matchup will headline a UFC Fight Night on April 15th. Originally there was discussions to have this bout on the London card in March. However, an injury to Arnold Allen forced the fight to be pushed back a few weeks.
Arnold Allen made his debut with the promotion all the way back in 2015 when he was just 9-1. All he’s done since being in the UFC is go a perfect 10-0. Now, for the first few years of his career with the promotion, injuries kept him out of regular action.
However, he’s been healthier over the past couple of years and his competition level has really stepped up. His last three wins are against Calvin Kattar, Dan Hooker, and Sodiq Yusuff. Granted the Kattar fight ended due to a Kattar injury, it’s still a win for Allen.
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April 15th will mark the return of Max Holloway. We haven’t seen Holloway since last July when he faced off against Alexander Volkanovski for the third time. The first fight was a win by decision for Volkanovski. The second was a razor close decision for Volkanovski that many thought Holloway won.
However, Volkanovski completely dominated the third fight to leave no doubt. Entering that third shot against Volkanovski, Holloway was riding a two-fight winning streak. He had won main events against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. While he might not be the best in the world, Holloway still seems firm at number two.
Arnold Allen is a dangerous contender, but he’s never fought anyone on the level of Max Holloway. This is such a sensational main event and it’s a very important fight for both men. It should really tell us a lot about where they’re going in their careers.