Athletes
Arnold Allen | Far From Just Another Fight
British Featherweight Opens Up About Difficult Road Back To The Octagon
Arnold Allen has fought around his birthday in the past, which means he’s accustomed to postponing the holidays and the celebration of another trip around the sun. This time around, however, the British featherweight will add a new experience to the fold as he readies to make his return to action on Saturday evening at UFC 324.
“I was working on fighting last year in December —that was the plan; I was gonna be able to enjoy Christmas, but the plans fell through and next thing we got offered was this fight in January to open up the year, so I thought, ‘Okay, we’re doing it again,’” explained Allen, who faces off with Jean Silva in the opening bout of this weekend’s main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Christmas and my birthday are just slightly delayed.
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“The worst thing is — this is the first time I will be cutting weight on my birthday,” he added with a bemused grin. “I will literally be in the sauna on my birthday; that’s a first.”
While the idea of sweating buckets and shedding pounds on a day when most are indulging in presents, favorite meals, and general revelry doesn’t sound particularly appealing, the truth is that being stuck in the sauna means that Allen will be roughly 48 hours away from stepping into the Octagon, and after another extended hiatus, the Top 10 talent is willing to do whatever it takes in order to finally step into the cage again.
“It’s very frustrating,” Allen said of the constant pauses in activity he’s experienced throughout his career. “Obviously, getting past a couple of losses, bit of controversy, all that stuff, that was big to get back in the win, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter, d’you know what I mean? It’s irrelevant at this point.”
Saturday will mark Allen’s first appearance since defeating Giga Chikadze at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, in the summer of 2024. The victory halted a two-fight skid, which came after “Almighty” opened his UFC tenure with 10 straight wins.
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Despite his outstanding results, his momentum was never enough to carry him all the way into the championship mix, as it took him eight years to amass those 10 wins. There were myriad issues that limited his opportunities, not just injuries, but just as he was starting to string things together and close in on title contention, a main event loss to Max Holloway ended his unbeaten run inside the Octagon, and a narrow defeat to Movsar Evloev at the start of 2024 left him sitting on consecutive losses.
He returned to action and the win column six months later, but has been out of action since, and the time away has been a real test of his mental fortitude.
“For the last five years, I’ve been on the doorstep, but injuries, inconsistency, a bit of bad luck, all these things — none of that is in my control,” began Allen, who owns wins over Gilbert Melendez, Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Hooker, and Calvin Kattar. “I’ve learned to do what I can do and control what I can control, and that’s train hard, get back, and try and win fights.
“For the last year, I lost my mind trying to focus on the things I can do,” continued the affable Brit, who trains at Montreal’s Tristar Gym. “My life is very career-driven, and I love my career — I want to give it that push and achieve my goals — so I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit I was pissed off in that sense, and I’d also be a liar if I didn’t say it trickles into my personal life sometimes.
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“When I’m in camp and full focus, it’s easier, because you’re on task; you’re on the train, and you’re moving. When you’re on the sidelines and injured, that sucks. I dealt with a little bit of depression because (in those moments), you can’t control anything. You watch the division, watch the guys; even the controllables don’t matter at that point.
“But we’re all good,” he added with a smile. “I’m in a good place, excited to perform, and excited to remind everyone who I am and what I do.”
What’s interesting is that while the division has undergone some shifts in the time since Allen last competed, he’s still in a comparable position to where he was when he fought Chikadze and can thrust himself into the thick of the chase with a victory on the weekend.
The impending birthday celebrant is currently stationed at No. 6 in the divisional rankings ahead of his clash with Silva, who resides at No. 10, on Saturday, and although there are some established names positioned in front of him, the pairing with the popular Fighting Nerds representative is one of the most compelling assignments available in the 145-pound weight class.
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“Everyone plays the rankings game, everyone wants to fight up the rankings — that’s the classic, and there are probably some easier fights up the rankings, but again, having a whole lot of time out of the fights, not competing, I can’t call any shots and I don’t deserve nothing,” said Allen, a constant pragmatist who has always taken a “take what I can get” approach to things. “If you took the rankings out, (Silva) is a lot more dangerous than some of the guys above me, and he’s a bigger draw.
“I’m very excited for this opportunity. He brings the heat, he’s a dangerous fighter, he’s a very fun fighter, and he’s an all-around character outside of competition as well, so it’s gonna be a good, fun fight and fight week.”
The returning Brit is not wrong.
While Silva is currently the last man in the Top 10, he’s been one of the most exciting and popular fighters in the division through is first two years in the UFC, earning five straight stoppage wins to open his tenure before getting stopped by former and future title challenger Diego Lopes in a barnburner that headlined Noche UFC last September in San Antonio, Texas.
Triple A is BACK 🤩 🏴 @ArnoldBFA is coming to put on a show at #UFC324! pic.twitter.com/hBwOalRKU7
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 12, 2026
If he’d won that fight, it would likely be Silva facing Alexander Volkanovski next weekend in Sydney, Australia, at UFC 325, but the setback has set him up opposite Allen, affording the Top 10 fixture the opportunity to make a real statement in his return to action.
But as much as he’s pumped for the chance to face Silva and how an abundance of possibilities exist on the other side of a positive result, for the time being, what matters most to Allen is that he’s battled through the last 18 months to be on the brink of the precipice of finally competing again.
“It’s huge, but it’s not just the fight,” he said of being poised to return. “I’ve never experienced what I’ve experienced through this injury — I’ve always been able to work through something, always been able to be in the gym and working, so the comeback is such a big personal obstacle to overcome.
“There were points where I was super-depressed, and I thought I was done; ‘this injury’s never gonna heal; I’m never gonna be back.’ To overcome that and get back to competing is huge for me. It’s more than just another fight and another win.”
So, after all the obstacles and uncertainty, as well as having delayed the holidays and spending his birthday in the sauna, just what is on the menu for the post-victory meal for the featherweight foodie?
“My algorithm at the moment is all British food, like cheese on toast with beans on top and all those things — fried egg, chips and beans from a dirty little truck stop café, you know?” Allen said with a grin. “That’s all I’m seeing at the minute, and I’m kind of down with it. I’m excited for that.”
UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2026. 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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