Athletes
Arnold Allen: “It’s Going To Be Pretty Wild”
England’s Own Arnold Allen Feels An Exciting Matchup Is On Deck For The Manchester Crowd At UFC 304
It’s about 8pm on Tuesday evening in Manchester when Arnold Allen comes into the room at the host hotel for his fight week interview. A normal fight week would have his interview earlier the day, but with the late start times in Manchester, things got a bit shifted and “Almighty” needed to get his rest in before starting the day.
“I have to sleep in until about one and there was some bloke next door lawn mowing, so then I had to get extra time to sleep because he woke me up,” Allen said.
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Don’t they know Allen is days out from facing Giga Chikadze at UFC 304, at 3am? This is just the fight business. And getting adjusted to this interesting sleep schedule has been a hurdle for Allen during his camp, but he may have an even bigger one when he has to get his body back on a normal sleep schedule after fight week concludes.
“It's definitely took some adjusting, took some work and effort, but fortunately, we have a good team, good family and friends around,” Allen said. “Everything was dealt with, and everything's been fine. It's always a learning experience, being in the camp.”
Last time out, Allen faced Movsar Evloev in Toronto and fell on the wrong side of the scorecards, losing by unanimous decision. It was Allen’s second loss in a row, after he dropped a decision to former featherweight champion Max Holloway last April. Even though no one wants to lose and reflect on those setbacks, it is a part of the game sometimes and a good reminder that you never know what may happen when you leave it in the hands of the judges.
MORE UFC 304: Main Event Spotlight | Co-Main Event Spotlight | Fight By Fight Preview
The featherweight division is at an interesting time with Ilia Topuria defeating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. It has opened things up a bit for the rest of the contenders in the Top 5 and Top 10, and it’s in a spot where now an athlete could be one or two spots away from a title shot with a big statement. That’s certainly the case with Allen’s matchup with Chikadze this weekend. It’s a No. 6 versus No. 10 matchup, but in Allen’s mind, the numbers don’t really matter at this level.
“Everyone knows how good everyone is; once you're in the top ten they’re all hard fights,” Allen said. “It's not like number two fighting number ten makes a difference. They're all tough fights and any style matchup and any guy preparing right, on the night, can get a win. Ilia obviously is the champ now, but there's still so many questions.”
Chikadze hasn’t competed since last August, when he defeated Alex Caceres in Singapore. It was the first time he stepped in the Octagon since his fight with Calvin Kattar in January 2022. Known for his “Giga Kick,” Chikadze’s matchup with Allen could be a fun one for the fans, and one that could perhaps be Fight of the Night after the action is done.
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“I think we both kind of want the same thing by the sound of it,” Allen said. “We've both got that same mentality. I don't want to get in a brawl again. I want to show my skill, my technique, and my class, all the things I believe I can do.”
And as far as the atmosphere inside Co-op Live is concerned, Allen knows the Manchester crowd is going to bring it.
“I can guarantee that it's going to be pretty wild.”
UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 took place live from Co-op Live in Manchester, England on July 27, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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