Arnold Allen is one of the good guys.
Allen couldn’t wait to dedicate his latest win to his father after moving to 4-0 in the UFC and he has made a habit of showcasing his almost matchless likeability since his Octagon debut in 2015.
The 24-year-old from Suffolk suddenly finds himself knocking on the door of the featherweight rankings but he made his fans suffer with his victory over Mads Burnell on Sunday night.
Allen proved that there’s no quit in him by pulling off a stunning comeback against Burnell on the main card of the UFC’s first ever event in Liverpool.
While he enjoyed plenty of success on the feet, Allen simply didn’t have an answer for the Danish 145lber’s wrestling and he was taken down on several occasions throughout the fight.
“I knew I had to pull it out of the bag,” Allen said after the bout and he certainly did that.
With just over two minutes remaining, Allen dug deep with the knowledge that he was down on the judges’ scorecards and seized his opportunity, as well as Burnell’s neck.
It wasn’t a traditional guillotine choke but Allen’s tenacity meant that he refused to give up on the squeeze and he just kept tightening his grip until Burnell couldn’t take any more.
https://twitter.com/FqMMA/status/1000813807315415040
Allen now hasn’t tasted defeat since coming up short in 2014 under the Cage Warriors banner, which is the only loss on the Brit’s record.
“I was fighting like a bit of an idiot but lesson learned. It was a tough, gritty fight and Mads and I both gave it everything we had,” Allen said.
“I’m very happy to get the win. I actually used the same manoeuvre to win my UFC debut. I kept putting my hand through and around his neck and he wasn’t doing anything to free himself or shake my arm off so I found an opportunity to make him pay.”
Wow!!! Out of nowhere!! @arnoldbfa sinks the submission at #UFCLiverpool pic.twitter.com/FRT21WTkLl
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 27, 2018
