Arnold Allen
English mixed martial artist (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arnold Billy Allen (born 22 January 1994) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[3] As of 10 March 2026, he is #8 in the UFC featherweight rankings.[5]
| Arnold Allen | |
|---|---|
Arnold Allen at UFC Fight Night 147 in London | |
| Born | Arnold Billy Allen[1] 22 January 1994 Ipswich, England |
| Other names | Almighty |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Bantamweight (2012–2013) Featherweight (2013–present) Lightweight (2014) |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Trimley St Martin, Suffolk, England |
| Team | BKK Fighters, UK Tristar Gym[3] |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Mark Nixon[4] |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 3 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 20 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 9 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Amateur mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 7 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
He made his professional debut competing as a featherweight for various regional promotions across Great Britain, including a stint in Cage Warriors. He was able to compile a record of 9–1 in his first three years along the way.[citation needed]
After his TKO stoppage of Paul Cook in November 2014, Allen signed with the UFC.[6]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Allen made his promotional debut on 20 June 2015 as a short notice replacement filling in for an injured Mike Wilkinson against Alan Omer at UFC Fight Night 69.[7] After probably dropping the first two rounds, Allen won the fight via submission in the third round.[8] He was also awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.[9]
Allen next faced Yaotzin Meza on 27 February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 84.[10] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[11]
Allen was expected to face Mirsad Bektic on 8 October 2016 at UFC 204.[12] However, due to injury, Allen withdrew from the fight and was replaced by Russell Doane.[13]
Allen faced Makwan Amirkhani on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.[14] He won the fight by split decision.[15]
Allen was scheduled to face Enrique Barzola at UFC 220 on 20 January 2018.[16] However, Allen was pulled from the fight on 11 January due to alleged visa issues which restricted his ability to travel.[17] Following this announcement, It was determined that Allen would be replaced by Matt Bessette at UFC 220.[18]
Allen faced Mads Burnell on 27 May 2018 at UFC Fight Night 130.[19] He won the fight via front choke submission in the third round.[20] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[21]
Allen was expected to face Gilbert Melendez on 30 November 2018 at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale.[22] However, Melendez pulled out of the fight on 5 November and was replaced by Ricky Glenn.[23] In turn, Allen pulled out of the fight on 16 November citing a cut he received while training.[24]
Allen faced Jordan Rinaldi on 16 March 2019 at UFC Fight Night 147.[25] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[26]
Allen faced Gilbert Melendez on 6 July 2019 at UFC 239.[27] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[28]
Allen was expected to face Josh Emmett on 25 January 2020 at UFC Fight Night 166.[29] However Emmett was pulled from the event for an undisclosed reason,[30] and he was replaced by Nik Lentz whose original featherweight opponent also dropped out of the event.[31] Allen won the fight via unanimous decision.[32] Lentz would later claim he lost 40% of his vision after being poked in the eye by Allen.
Allen was scheduled to face Jeremy Stephens on 7 November 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira.[33] However, Stephens was forced to withdraw from the event, citing injury. In turn, the bout was cancelled.[34]
Allen faced Sodiq Yusuff on 10 April 2021 at UFC on ABC 2.[35] After knocking Yusuff down twice, he won the fight via unanimous decision.[36]
Allen faced Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night 204.[37] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[38] With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.[39]
Allen faced Calvin Kattar on 29 October 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213,[40] winning via technical knockout following a knee injury to Kattar.[41]
Allen faced former UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway on 15 April 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44,[42] where he lost via unanimous decision, ending his win streak in the UFC.[43]
Allen faced Movsar Evloev on 20 January 2024, at UFC 297.[44] In a competitive bout, he lost by unanimous decision.[45]
Allen faced Giga Chikadze on 27 July 2024, at UFC 304.[46] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[47]
Allen faced Jean Silva on 24 January 2026, at UFC 324.[48] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[49]
Allen is scheduled to face Melquizael Costa on 16 May 2026 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 276.[50]
Personal life
Allen was issued a five-month suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to affray, for his role in a 23 December 2016 brawl near Ipswich which left a man and five women injured.[51][52]
His brother Jake Allen, participates in Strongman and is currently European Champion in the 90kg weight class
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Alan Omer, Mads Burnell and Dan Hooker[21][39]
- Third longest win streak in UFC Featherweight division history (10)[53]
- Made4TheCage
- M4TC Lightweight Championship (One time; former)
Mixed martial arts record
| 24 matches | 20 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 0 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 9 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 20–4 | Jean Silva | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 324 | 24 January 2026 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 20–3 | Giga Chikadze | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 304 | 27 July 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Manchester, England | |
| Loss | 19–3 | Movsar Evloev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 297 | 20 January 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Loss | 19–2 | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen | 15 April 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 19–1 | Calvin Kattar | TKO (knee injury) | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen | 29 October 2022 | 2 | 0:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 18–1 | Dan Hooker | TKO (punches and elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | 19 March 2022 | 1 | 2:33 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 17–1 | Sodiq Yusuff | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland | 10 April 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–1 | Nik Lentz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos | 25 January 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | |
| Win | 15–1 | Gilbert Melendez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 239 | 6 July 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–1 | Jordan Rinaldi | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal | 16 March 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 13–1 | Mads Burnell | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till | 27 May 2018 | 3 | 2:41 | Liverpool, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1 | Makwan Amirkhani | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson | 18 March 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 11–1 | Yaotzin Meza | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping | 27 February 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 10–1 | Alan Omer | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne | 20 June 2015 | 3 | 1:41 | Berlin, Germany | Return to Featherweight. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 9–1 | Paul Cook | TKO (doctor stoppage) | M4TC 15 | 29 November 2014 | 2 | 5:00 | Tyne and Wear, England | Lightweight debut. Won the M4TC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–1 | Gaetano Pirello | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 71 | 22 August 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Amman, Jordan | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Marcin Wrzosek | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 69 | 7 June 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 7–0 | Tobias Huber | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors: Fight Night 11 | 18 April 2014 | 1 | 0:37 | Amman, Jordan | |
| Win | 6–0 | Doni Miller | TKO (punches) | Cage Warriors 61 | 13 December 2013 | 2 | 0:34 | Amman, Jordan | |
| Win | 5–0 | Declan Williams | Submission (triangle choke) | Cage Warriors 60 | 5 October 2013 | 2 | 4:50 | London, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Andy Green | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Warriors 56 | 6 July 2013 | 1 | 4:00 | London, England | |
| Win | 3–0 | Carl Orriss | Decision (unanimous) | Ultimate Challenge MMA 32 | 2 February 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Kim Thinghaugen | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Ultimate Warrior Challenge 21 | 20 October 2012 | 1 | 5:00 | Southend-on-Sea, England | |
| Win | 1–0 | Nathan Greyson | KO (punch) | Ultimate Challenge MMA 27 | 7 April 2012 | 2 | 0:40 | London, England | Bantamweight debut. |