Arnold
Allen went into his first main event appearance hoping to make
a clear case to be next in line for a featherweight title shot.
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Instead, his
UFC Fight Night 213 showdown with Calvin
Kattar ended early after his opponent suffered a knee injury
late in Round 1. Although Kattar made it out of his corner for the
second frame, Allen only needed to land one low kick before “The
Boston Finisher” crumbled to the canvas in agony. While Allen was
pleased with the way things were going in the opening stanza — he
held a 28-to-14 edge in significant strikes landed — the victory
wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it could have been.
“It’s bittersweet,” Allen said at Saturday’s post-fight press
conference. “Things were going right in the first round. Everything
was going as I planned, as I trained and as I prepared. It is what
it is. It’s the sport we’re in. Hopefully his injury is not too bad
and it heals up quick.”
There hasn’t been much clarity in the featherweight division of
late. A matchup between Yair
Rodriguez and Brian
Ortega earlier this year also ended prematurely when Ortega
suffered a shoulder injury in Round 1, while a clash between
Josh
Emmett and Kattar resulted in a contentious split-decision
triumph for Emmett. Saturday’s result just adds to the trend, which
wasn’t exactly the type of statement Allen hoped to make.
“Obviously there was the injury with Yair and Brian and then
Calvin. Emmett [vs. Kattar], it was a real close decision,” Allen
said. “I wanted the performance to stand out so I could actually
ask [for a title shot]: ‘Look, this deserves it more than that and
that.’ But now I’m in the same boat. We might as well all hang out
together and talk about it.”
The entire weight class could be put on hold regardless, since it
appears that reigning champion Alexander
Volkanovski will pursue his dreams of becoming a two-division
champion with a matchup against 155-pound title holder Islam
Makhachev next year. Even if that leads to the creation of an
interim featherweight belt, Allen doesn’t feel strongly about who
should vie for the crown.
“I don’t have an opinion on it,” he said. “Everyone’s getting dodgy
wins and weird things. It’s hard to say who deserves it. I don’t
know. Whoever.”