Holloway fends off Allen by decision in UFC Kansas City main event
"Blessed" is still one of the best.
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway returned to the win column Saturday night, defeating Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) in the UFC Kansas City main event. Allen fell short in the promotion for the first time.
There was some doubt about where Holloway stood in the division heading into the fight, as he was coming off a lopsided loss to current champ and rival Alexander Volkanovski. It was Holloway's third defeat to Volkanovski, and a loss to Allen would've all but ended his title hopes at 145 pounds. But Holloway got the best of Allen in a closely contested striking affair, proving he's still a top featherweight.
"Dude is durable," Holloway said of Allen in his postfight interview. "He wanted to go all the way, and I welcomed that."
The veteran Hawaiian started strong, controlling the pace of the first round and staying a bit more active. Allen turned up his offense in the second, landing several hard left hands and tagging Holloway with a right and then a kick up the front.
Holloway bounced back in the third, landing more punches than Allen and once again controlling the distance. The fourth round was razor close, but it seemed Holloway edged it on the feet.
Allen's cornerman, Firas Zahabi, told him between the fourth and fifth rounds that he needed a finish win the fight, and Allen gave it all he could. He came out swinging for the fence and connected on a handful of his punches. He also got Holloway's attention with a big right.
In the final seconds of their back-and-forth battle, the two featherweight contenders bit down on their mouthpieces and let it all go. Allen landed a hard left, and Holloway briefly dropped Allen with a left hook. Holloway said the wild flurry reminded him of the iconic finishing sequence of his 2016 bout with Ricardo Lamas.
"Arnold Allen hits like a truck," Holloway said. "He got me in the last round and blacked my eye. Arnold, my modeling career is in jeopardy because of you."
Holloway, 31, is now 3-1 in his last four Octagon appearances. This was his first victory since a thrilling decision over Yair Rodriguez in November 2021. Rodriguez is the current interim featherweight champion and is reportedly set to unify the belts with Volkanovski in July.
Holloway remains unbeaten in non-title fights since a 2013 loss to Conor McGregor, and he's unbeaten at 145 pounds in that timeframe against everyone but Volkanovski. Holloway held the UFC featherweight belt from June 2017 to December 2019, defending it three times.
Allen, the No. 4-ranked featherweight, saw his 12-fight winning streak - which dated back to August 2014 - come to an end. But even in defeat, the 29-year-old Englishman proved he belongs with the best of the UFC featherweight division. He now sits at 10-1 in the promotion and 19-2 as a professional MMA fighter.