"Things fall on their laps" - Arnold Allen talks Ilia Topuria's title shot, predicts Alexander Volkanovski title fight (Exclusive)
Arnold Allen recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria featherweight title fight at UFC 298 and opened up about his road to a potential championship opportunity.
Allen is set to face Movsar Evloev in a featherweight barnburner at UFC 297 this weekend. The first pay-per-view event of 2024 is set to go down at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. It will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.
In a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Allen spoke about working his way up the featherweight division and iterated that he's got no complaints about fighting whoever comes his way to get a championship opportunity. He said:
"No, I'm a firm believer in if you wanna be a champion, you've to beat the best guys. I was more than happy to take that [Max Holloway] fight. But, obviously guys get different routes and things fall on their laps - timing, injuries - it is what it is. I've to take the harder path and fight the tougher guys, so I'm happy with that."
He also shared his predictions for the Volkanovski vs. Topuria title fight and foresaw 'The Great' retaining the 145-pound championship. He said:
"I think [Alexander] Volkanovski is gonna get the win. I think the champ will defend his belt."
Arnold Allen confident about defeating Movsar Evloev at UFC 297
In the same interview, Arnold Allen shared thoughts on his upcoming featherweight bout against Movsar Evloev. The Englishman stated that he's confident of getting his hand raised and believes he'll dominate the 29-year-old Russian fighter.
Allen last faced Max Holloway at UFC Kansas City in April 2023. The Englishman was dominated by the former featherweight champion and lost the bout via unanimous decision, bringing a stop to his 12-fight win streak. Before that, Allen had picked up knockout wins over Calvin Kattar and Dan Hooker.
Despite losing the Holloway fight, 'Almighty' is confident about getting back in the title picture with a statement victory over Evloev this weekend, and that's exactly what he foresees. Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA, Allen admitted that while Evloev was a tough opponent, he wasn't worried. He said:
"I think I'm gonna outclass him. I think I'm gonna dominate him and show my level... [I will] definitely be looking for a finish but he's a tough guy. He's undefeated... I'm prepared to go the distance if we need to."
Watch UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis on 21st January 2024 from 8:30 AM IST onwards LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu).