Arnold Allen welcomes interim UFC title fight with Yair Rodriguez next amid continued winning streak
Off the back of his tenth consecutive victory since his move to the UFC, Ipswitch native, Arnold Allen has sights fixed on competing for featherweight gold in some form next – even if it comes in the form of an interim title clash against either fellow contenders, Yair Rodriguez, or Josh Emmett.
Headlining UFC Vegas 63 last weekend against New England Cartel striker, Calvin Kattar, Allen managed to secure a second round TKO win over the Massachusetts native after the latter suffered a knee injury late in the first round, tweaking the injury in the opening exchange of the second frame.
Prior to last weekend’s win, Arnold Allen managed to defeat lightweight striking veteran, Dan Hooker with a one-sided first round knockout win at UFC London back in May.
With reigning division champion, Alexander Volkanovski, expected to make a move to the lightweight limit for a title fight against new gold holder, Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in February in Perth, Australia – rumblings suggest an interim title will be introduced at 145lbs in his absence.
Arnold Allen weighs up potential UFC title fight in next Octagon outing
With a host of talent, including the aforenoted pair of Rodriguez, and Emmett expected to play into the frey for an interim title fight, Allen maintains he himself should now enter that conversation – taking on either next.
“If they (the UFC) are going to do an interim title [at featherweight], I want to be part of that,” Arnold Allen told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I feel like I should be one half of that. All the talk seems to be that, right [the introduction of an interim title at featherweight]. Everything seems to be pointing to that is happening.”
For Rodriguez, the Chihuahua native managed to score a TKO victory of his own against Brian Ortega back in July on Long Island, after the latter suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Streaking featherweight, Emmett on the other hand, headlined a UFC Fight Night Austin card in the summer against common-opponent, Kattar, narrowly landing a close, split decision triumph to boot.
