Arnold Allen is gearing up for a fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toBU17jrJLs
The Tristar product tells the Pull No Punches podcast he has been asking for a fight and he has a card in mind.
The following quotes have been condensed for clarity and concision.
Arnold Allen Wants In On UFC 231
Allen, 24, has his eyes set on UFC 231 in Toronto. A Featherweight title bout between Max Holloway versus Brian Ortega is rumoured to be in the works for the event. “Hopefully this year, hopefully not next year in England,” Allen answers a question about upcoming fights. “Toronto would be nice. It would be nice to fight in Canada.” “Almighty” has not competed since a come-from-behind submission win over Mads Burnell in Liverpool this past May.
Allen was arguably down two rounds to zero going into the third with Burnell’s superior grappling making the difference. Chances are the English fighter was losing the final round as well, before locking in a fight-ending front choke.
“It’s a good feeling, especially when you see it coming. I saw [the set-up] for 30 seconds, he kept putting his head in the same position,” Allen recalls. “I was like ‘he is a good level black belt, he’s not going to [fall for that.] And then put his head back there and I thought ‘f**k it, there are two minutes left’ and just went for it.”
Trouble with the Law
The hosts ask Allen about his a story in which he utilized a left hook to supposedly knock out more than a dozen men in a pub brawl. In December 2016, Allen pled guilty to affray and received a five-month suspended sentence for his role in the incident that left five women injured. He served probation to avoid jail time.
“[Fighting for the UFC] was the only thing I was worried about,” Allen admits. “Once that was straightened out it was normal business, back to the gym and trying to get a fight.”
In The Genes
Allen offered one of the most memorable post-fight speeches of 2018 after conquering Burnell. The fighter was joined by his dad for a light-hearted, raw, and hilarious celebration. “I didn’t put any thought into it, clearly,” Allen chuckles. “My dad was there and I thought ‘I’m going to roast him.’ I’m going to call him out.” But it is all love between Allen and his father: “He’s the man, he’s a character”.
***
The Pull No Punches podcast publishes every Thursday on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, Facebook Video and most major podcasting networks.
