UFC Fight Night Holloway vs. Allen Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

This Saturday, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway faces off against the rising star Arnold Allen. Now that Holloway has lost his trilogy to Alexander Volkanovski, he must protect his status from men like Allen, who watches for a chance to attack the title. If he were to defeat the former champ, the Englishman would be next in line without question. The entire event is filled with interesting matchups, but as usual, we are covering the main bout.

Preview

Holloway (-185) will always be remembered for losing three times to Volkanovski. Yes, the Blessed didn’t deserve a defeat in the second one, and it was decidedly close, but the most recent one was very convincing, as Volk systematically dismantled Max. All of his previous achievements and his domination were a little bit overshadowed by these failures.

It was Holloway’s seventh career loss, and it came after two consecutive unanimous decision victories over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. Beating guys like Arnold is crucial for Holloway because his legacy is at stake if he starts losing now. Don’t forget he was one of the most dominant champs of his time. He was victorious over notable opponents such as Jose Aldo (twice), Anthony Pettis, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, etc.

The Blessed has a rock-solid chin and is a top-tier boxer in the UFC. We know from experience that the former champion has a higher tolerance for absorbing beating than the rest of the team combined. It’s too bad he can’t switch things up and add some grappling to his skillset.

Allen Arnold (+150) has 19 wins and one loss; these stats say everything. All that in just 29 years, with his best years at the outset. After his last defeat in 2014, this fighter has steadily risen to the top of the UFC featherweight division, becoming a respectable fighter. Now, Allen wants to prove that he isn’t just a talent but a legit contender.

We didn’t see him in the octagon often because his coaches didn’t want to throw Allen in fire at a young age. His previous two wins over Dan Hooker and Calvin Kattar, once he KOd the rivals, were proof that the new dog is on the block and wants to take over. We are aware that both of the above-mentioned guys are way past their peak, yet that won’t and can’t diminish the ruthless and the dominant performance.

Allen is an intelligent, patient combatant who knows how to rack up victory points and fill in the scorecards. His devastating leg kicks are perfectly timed, and he controls the rhythm through the same. As for his grappling, it is at the highest possible level, yet he avoids using the same often enough. Maybe that’s some sort of tactics, but we often hear the analysts calling out Allen due to this.

Predictions

Allen’s impressive yet unexploited wrestling ability and Holloway’s most recent event against Volkanovski were two reasons we went with the underdog here. Something tells us the Almighty will use his grappling to defeat the Blessed, who has been on the decline over the past two years, maybe even longer.

Pick: Arnold Allen +150