"It puts you in that top-five sort of title eliminator talk"- Arnold Allen talks about what a win over Dan Hooker would mean for him
Arnold Allen has opened up about what a win over Dan Hooker would mean to him. Presently, Allen holds the No. 7 spot in the official UFC featherweight (145-pound) rankings. Meanwhile, Hooker stands at No. 8 in the UFC lightweight (155-pound) rankings.
Allen has amassed a record of 17 wins and 1 defeat in his professional MMA career thus far. The 28-year-old is on a 10-fight win streak and has been touted by many as a future UFC champion.
'Almighty' is set to face Hooker in a featherweight bout that’ll take place on the UFC London fight card on March 19th. The matchup marks 'The Hangman's' return to featherweight, having competed at lightweight for the past few years.
Ahead of his pivotal clash against the Kiwi, Allen spoke to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto regarding multiple topics. Most prominently, ‘Almighty’ highlighted the significance of a win over Hooker.
Allen stated:
“You know, [with] a win here, it’s only up, isn’t it? Like, you’re not gonna go, ‘Alright. You beat Dan Hooker. Now, you’re fighting No. 8.’ So, it puts you in that top-five sort of title eliminator talk. So, that’s exactly what I want. And that’s how I look at this fight.”
Watch Arnold Allen’s conversation with Brett Okamoto in the video below:
Kenny Florian believes Dan Hooker’s weight cut could play a crucial role in his fight with Arnold Allen
Kenny Florian recently suggested that Hooker is likely to beat Allen, provided that 'The Hangman' doesn’t have a tough time making 145 pounds after having fought at 155 pounds since 2017.
In an edition of The Anik & Florian Podcast, Florian, a former UFC fighter, opined that Hooker’s height and reach will pose problems for Allen.
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Furthermore, ‘KenFlo’ is of the view that if Allen is unable to get his timing right and get his combinations going, it’d end up throwing him off. Florian said:
"Dan Hooker has that size and reach and knows how to use it. He circles well when he's on point with his game and he's not too shabby on the ground either. So, I think it should be an interesting fight. It'll be a close fight but I like Dan Hooker here. But, of course, that weight cut's gonna be crucial to his success."
The UFC featherweight championship currently belongs to Alexander Volkanovski. Moreover, the top five in the UFC featherweight division currently comprises Max Holloway at No. 1, Brian Ortega at No. 2, Yair Rodriguez at No. 3, Chan Sung Jung at No. 4, and Calvin Kattar at No. 5. Besides, Josh Emmett holds the No. 6 spot, whereas the No. 7 spot belongs to Arnold Allen.
Watch the clip of the Anik and Florian podcast below: