Arnold Allen releases statement following defeat to Max Holloway

Arnold Allen releases statement following defeat to Max Holloway

The Englishman was handed his first UFC defeat by former champ Holloway on Saturday night

By John Balfe - 17 Apr 2023

After working way up the rankings with a string of ten straight featherweight wins, English fighter Arnold Allen tasted his first UFC defeat at the hands of former 145-pound champion Max Holloway late on Saturday night in Kansas City, Missouri. 

Allen, who has looked outstanding in the cage recently — particularly in his first-round TKO win against Dan Hooker a little more than a year ago — met a brick wall in Holloway, whose iron chin and pinpoint striking and footwork led to a unanimous decision win on the judges’ scorecards.

But far from being bitter about it, Allen — whom Holloway later described as one of the ‘nicest’ guys he has fought in the cage — admitted that he was second best in the 25-minute contest.

 

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“An honour to share the cage with a legend in [Max Holloway], I just wasn’t good enough tonight,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for the support.”

Holloway responded: “Honor was all mines brother! Thank you.”

As for Holloway, he was entirely respectful towards Allen in his post-fight presser, even detailing that he didn’t feel the opportunity to display the in-cage smack talk which was evident in previous contests against the likes of Calvin Kattar or Brian Ortega. But the Hawaiian, still just 31, added that there is a lot more to come from him.

“I heard the same thing all over again — that Arnold’s going to be the guy who’s going to break my chin, who’s going to put [me] out, too slow, too old, whatever it is,” he said to the media, including The Mac Life.

“I just laugh,” he said. “Half these guys talking about it probably haven’t fought a day in their life, so they wouldn’t know. I come from this sport. I’m in the gaming world — oh my gosh, the gaming world is even more worse, the s*** talking. So at the end of the day, it’s alright.”

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