Tag: Arnold Allen

UFC on ESPN 44 official weigh-ins video: Max Holloway, Arnold Allen nail weights early

UFC on ESPN 44 headliners Max Holloway and Arnold Allen made it look easy when they nailed weight early in the window.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An important featherweight main event takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Center, and at the official weigh-ins Friday both fighters in the headlining equation made weight.

MMA Junkie was on site at the host hotel Kansas City, Mo., where UFC on ESPN 44 weigh-ins took place. First to weigh in was former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC), who registered at 146 pounds. A few fighters later, [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) hit the same 146-pound mark.

Holloway, 31, returns from a nine-month layoff as he embarks on another title run that he hopes will earn himself a fourth crack at champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Allen, 29, competes in his second UFC main event as he looks to extend his winning streak to 13 against his most high-profile opponent to date.

Check out Holloway and Allen on the scale in the video above, and don’t miss the full live stream of the official weigh-ins below.

 

UFC on ESPN 44 pre-event facts: Will Arnold Allen crack Max Holloway’s historic chin?

Check out the numbers behind UFC on ESPN 44, where Max Holloway brings an insane durability record into his main event with Arnold Allen.

The UFC returns to Missouri for the first time in exactly five years on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 44, which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, the stakes don’t get much higher than the clash of featherweight contenders. Former longtime UFC champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) looks to begin another run toward the belt when he takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten inside the octagon thus far.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts from UFC on ESPN 44.

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Video: What’s on the line for Max Holloway, Arnold Allen in UFC Kansas City headliner?

A former dominant champion will try to make another push for a title shot when the UFC touches down in Missouri this week.

A former dominant champion will try to make another push for a title shot when the UFC touches down in Missouri this week.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) on Saturday meets [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC), who is unbeaten in his UFC career and hasn’t lost in nearly nine years. They headline UFC on ESPN 44, which takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Holloway is in a unique position. He lost the featherweight title to Alexander Volkanovski in a close fight in December 2019. Seven months later, he dropped a second decision to him in a rematch. After wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez in main events, Holloway got another crack at the belt in July 2022, but again lost a decision to Volkanovski. Getting a fourth shot at the champ could be exceedingly difficult, given he’s 0-3 against him.

But a path to a title shot might be easier for Allen, who returned to 145 pounds when he made his UFC debut in June 2015. He’s only had 10 fights in the promotion in nearly eight years, but will have his third fight in 13 months when he meets Holloway. After wins over Dan Hooker and Kattar, he can stake his claim with a win over Holloway.

Volkanovski is set to meet interim featherweight champ Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July in Las Vegas. A win for Rodriguez might result in a quick rematch for Volkanovski, which would further delay the pecking order. But a Volkanovski win will have him likely looking for new blood.

This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura broke down this week’s UFC headliner and more with host Mike Bohn. Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

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Arnold Allen: ‘Nowhere else to go’ but title shot if I beat Max Holloway at UFC on ESPN 44

Arnold Allen will be 11-0 in the UFC if he beats Max Holloway in Saturday’s main event, and at that point a title shot is the only option.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The importance of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 44 main event is not lost on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag].

Allen (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) competes in the definitive bout of his career when he takes on former champion Max Holloway (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) in a five-round bout at T-Mobile Center, which airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Despite putting together a 10-fight winning streak inside the octagon, Allen has never faced a former UFC titleholder. Holloway is the ideal opponent for the Brit to elevate his status into the undeniable next contender at 145 pounds.

“(Max is an) ex-champion, one of the greatest featherweights of all time,” Allen told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 44 media day. “His resume is nothing short of inspiring. He’s done all the things I want to do, and he’s set the path for the things I want to do too.”

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The timing for Allen in this contest is quite ideal. His main event comes just three months before Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez are scheduled for a championship unification bout at UFC 290 in July, and Allen knows a win over Holloway would have him poised to face the winner.

“I think so,” Allen said of securing a title shot with a win. “I feel like it has to. There’s nowhere else to go then surely.”

Given the stage and the opportunity in front of him, Allen isn’t going into UFC on ESPN 44 looking for a ho-hum win. He wants to do something emphatic and is well aware what type of exclamation point he would be putting down if he became the first to knock down or knock out the durable Hawaiian.

“He’s rarely in a boring fight,” Allen said. The way he fights is going to bring the best out of myself. I’m looking forward to it. … It’s never a thought about trying to be the guy to put him down. It’s never the thought, whoever you’re fighting. You’re always thinking about the five rounds and doing the distance. Obviously the goal is always to try to finish, but the thought is to go five rounds.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

UFC veterans in MMA action April 14-15

Check out which UFC veterans are in MMA and boxing action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Kansas City, Mo. for UFC on ESPN 44 following UFC 287 in Miami. Former featherweight king [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other MMA events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This weekend, there are a total of 14 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from April 14-15.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

UFC on ESPN 44: How to watch Holloway vs. Allen, start time, fight card, odds

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC on ESPN 44 with Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen in the main event.

The UFC is taking the show on the road Saturday with UFC on ESPN 44 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., with a key featherweight matchup atop the card.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 44, headlined by former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag].

UFC on ESPN 44’s poster is right to the point with a featherweight legend in K.C.

For the first time in about six years, the UFC is headed back to one of middle America’s legendary cities for Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen.

For the first time in about six years, the UFC is headed back to one of middle America’s legendary cities.

UFC on ESPN 44 takes place next month in Kansas City, Mo. The promotion has been there just once before for UFC on FOX 24 in 2017, when Demetrious Johnson defended the flyweight title with a submission win over Wilson Reis.

This time, there won’t be a title on the line, but a former champion is at the top of the bill. Former featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) will take on fellow top contender [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) in the main event.

Holloway won the interim featherweight title in 2016, then unified the belts against Jose Aldo six months later. After defenses against Aldo, Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgaar, he lost the belt to current champ Alexander Volkanovski in December 2019.

Holloway has had two more cracks at Volkanovski, but is 0-3 against him with three decision setbacks. Most recently, Volkanovski outworked him at UFC 276 in July 2022.

Allen hasn’t lost since he arrived in the UFC in mid-2015. He’s gone 10-0 in that stretch, though in six of the calendar years starting with 2015, he’s fought just once. In his first UFC main event this past October, he beat Calvin Kattar with a TKO when Kattar suffered a knee injury just a few seconds into the second round. Before that, he had a bonus-winning first-round TKO of Dan Hooker in front of his home fans in London in March 2022.

UFC on ESPN 44 takes place April 15 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+. Check out the poster for the event above.

The latest UFC on ESPN 44 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET)

  • Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
  • Tanner Boser vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
  • Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4:30 p.m. ET)

  • Zak Cummings vs. Ed Herman
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Clay Guida
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Brandon Royval
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips
  • Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Joselyn Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.

Arnold Allen expects Max Holloway to keep peppering him like he’s ‘a German sausage’

Arnold Allen says he doesn’t need to watch tape on Max Holloway because he knows exactly what’s coming in the UFC on ESPN 44 main event.

LONDON – [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] says he doesn’t need to watch tape on [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] because he knows exactly what’s coming.

Allen (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC) meets former featherweight champion Holloway (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 44 headliner on April 15 in Kansas City, Mo.

Holloway is known for the record-breaking output that he puts on his opponents, and Allen says he’ll be ready for it.

“He’s going to throw about a million punches, kicks, knees and elbows,” Allen said backstage at UFC 286. “He’s going to try and take my head off. He’s going to keep peppering me like I’m a German sausage or something, and I know what he’s going to do.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s a very dangerous guy who’s beat a lot of top contenders, and he’s beaten them very well. He’s been world champion. He’s been pound-for-pound No. 1. He’s stepped up to lightweight and had wars with people like Dustin Poirier. So I’m very excited for the opportunity to challenge someone like that and show what I’m able to do.”

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As much volume as Holloway throws, he also absorbs a large amount of strikes. But Allen doesn’t expect that to have an impact on his game plan.

“Mentally, I don’t think it’s affected him at all,” Allen said. “I think he’s fine. He’s going to keep coming with the same game plan. He’s not going to be deterred, and he’s going to do the same thing. He’s going to throw five – maybe you land four or whatever. He’s going to be happy with that. It’s science. It happens. It’s going to catch up to you. We’ve seen it with a lot of the athletes over the years. But he’s tough as nails, and I don’t think it’s going to change anything he does.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

UFC heads to Kansas City with Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen main event

For the first time in almost five years, the UFC heads back to Kansas City, Mo. and it’s bringing a featherweight main event with it.

For the first time in almost five years, the UFC heads back to Kansas City, Mo.

Wednesday, the T-Mobile Center, a near-19,000 capacity indoor venue, listed the promotion’s upcoming April 15 event on its website, following an initial report by Sports Illustrated. The promotion subsequently confirmed the event on Instagram.

The UFC Fight Night card is headlined by former featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) and fellow top contender [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] (19-1 MMA, 10-0 UFC).

Also on the card, exciting featherweights [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] (22-11 MMA, 16-11 UFC) and [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) are set to fight.

The UFC has been to Kansas City, Mo. once prior, for UFC on FOX 24 in April 2017, an event headlined by then-UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who defended his title successfully against Wilson Reis. That event took place at Sprint Center, with an attendance of 12,171.

The UFC Fight Night lineup for April 15 includes:

  • Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
  • Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Brandon Royval
  • Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
  • Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodriguez
  • Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
  • Joselyne Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova
  • Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 30-Feb. 5)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Jan. 30-Feb. 5.