Beating Max Holloway would be "a bigger statement" than becoming interim champ, claims Arnold Allen
Arnold Allen thinks missing out on a UFC interim title shot isn't too bad if fighting Max Holloway is the alternative.
Allen believes that his resume warrants an opportunity to contend for the featherweight title. However, the UFC went in another direction by booking a Yair Rodriguez vs. Josh Emmett interim title fight at UFC 284 on February 11 in Perth, Australia.
The way Allen sees it, though, there's a silver lining to getting snubbed from the title picture. 'Almighty' firmly believes that beating Holloway, who has defeated every top featherweight not named Alexander Volkanovski, is a bigger statement than capturing the division's interim belt. The Brit told Abz Talks:
"A lot of people are saying Max is the fight to make. That would be a fun one. I don’t see why not. And also, I think a win over him would be a bigger statement, and then you throw your interim in the bin, right?"
Check out Arnold Allen's full interview below:
Arnold Allen claims he's more deserving than Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett
The young Brit recently extended his winning streak to 10 with a victory over fellow top contender Calvin Kattar. However, he admitted that beating Kattar due to an injury may not have helped his case.
Still, Arnold Allen is of the opinion that his overall body of work is better than Rodriguez's and Emmett's. With that in mind, the 28-year-old revealed that he was shocked to learn about the scheduled interim title fight in Perth:
"I was a little bit surprised. I thought I was in just with the win streak on its own. I know the last fight wasn’t ideal, but I thought when you put the nine-fight winning streak without the last one, that was more than worthy than either of what those guys have done at the minute."
Allen owns a few notable wins over the likes of Kattar, Dan Hooker, and former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. Unfortunately, a win over Holloway won't necessarily allow him to leapfrog the winner between Rodriguez and Emmett.
In all likelihood, he'll have to wait for a featherweight unification bout before getting his shot at undisputed gold.
Makhachev. Volkanovski. Lightweight Title. P4P Status. Perth. February. OFFICIAL 🤩
#UFC284 https://t.co/AWag8K4PSE
Divisional monarch Alexander Volkanovski will challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight crown in the main event of UFC 284. The Australian claimed that if he captures his second title, he intends to move back and forth between the two divisions to defend his belts.