Aljamain Sterling believes Arnold Allen should have got the featherweight interim title shot
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes British featherweight Arnold Allen has been overlooked in regards to the interim 145lb title fight.
In recent weeks, the UFC announced that the No. 2-ranked Yair Rodriguez will be facing off against the No. 5-ranked Josh Emmett for the interim featherweight title at UFC 284 next year.
Many fight fans, including 'Funk Master', believe Arnold Allen should have been in contention for that fight. 'Almighty' is undefeated in the UFC's 145lb division, winning all of his 10 fights in the organization so far. Allen also holds notable wins over Calvin Kattar and Dan Hooker.
According to Aljamain Sterling, he expected that to be enough for Allen to test himself against the best in the division:
"Arnold Allen should be fighting for the interim title at 145. I'm gutted for him."
Arnold Allen should be fighting for the interim title at 145. I’m gutted for him. twitter.com/patkk151515/st…
While the 28-year-old will surely appreciate the kind words from the bantamweight champ, he will likely look back on his fight with Kattar as a missed opportunity.
The Ipswich-born fighter was handed the victory after 'The Boston Finisher' injured his knee toward the end of the first-round.
Arnold Allen TKOS Calvin Kattar #UFCVegas63 https://t.co/DjLHpKueNh
The bout was waved off just 8 seconds into round two and despite looking impressive, it wasn't a statement win that many felt Arnold Allen needed to be included in the interim title picture.
Alexander Volkanovski weighs in on Arnold Allen missing out on interim featherweight title bout
Current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has had his say on the UFC's decision to book Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett for an interim title fight.
Volkanovski is chasing double champ status as he heads up to 155lbs to challenge newly crowned champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Due to him being away from his division for an extended period, 'The Great' believes it's fair for there to be an interim champion during his absence.
In regards to who should be fighting for that belt, however, the Australian has stated that the UFC were in a lose-lose situation.
In an interview with FOX Sports, 'Volk' praised the talent in the 145lb division and said regardless of who was chosen, somebody, in this case Allen, was always going to be disappointed:
"That's the thing, I was even saying like, if there's going to be interim or whoever was next for me or whatever it is, people are gonna be disappointed. Cause there's a few guys right at the top, especially as the interim, one person was gonna miss out. Cause I feel like all three of them were right up there and all deserve it. It's unfortunate that Arnold Allen there missed out but you know, that's the game."
Catch the full interview here: