Arnold Allen plans to pass on a homecoming fight if he’s victorious at UFC 324.
The Englishman has a tough test ahead of him as he faces fellow featherweight contender Jean Silva in Saturday’s main card bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Allen has been a top-ranked fighter on the UFC’s 145-pound roster for years, though his path to a title shot has been hindered by inactivity and recent losses to Movsar Evloev and Max Holloway.
Should he impress against Silva, Allen would prefer to stay on the championship path rather than be put in a throwaway fight at UFC London, which takes place on March 21.
“Look at my f*cking record,” Allen said at UFC 324 media day when asked if he’d make a quick turnaround for the London show. “That ain’t happening. Maybe in 2013, I think I had like, six, seven fights in a year. Yeah, maybe then.
“I want to be elite,” he added. “I’m not at that stage where I just want to take any fight for the sake of it. Winning here, OK, maybe don’t give me a title fight, but winning here it’s a No. 1 contender fight next. So I don’t want to just go, ‘Oh, have a six-week quick turnaround after,’ I want to be ready, prepared for world-class fights. I want that title fight.”
Allen has a lot to prove Saturday, not only because he’s taking on the dangerous Silva, but because of his light schedule over the past few years. The 31-year-old returned to the win column with a decision victory over Giga Chikadze, a bout that took place in July 2024 and was only Allen’s sixth fight since 2020.
As much criticism as he takes for spending time on the sidelines, however, Allen insists he’s not solely to blame.
“The other layoffs I’ve had, I was ready the whole year,” Allen said. “It was a lot of scheduling, ‘We’re going to the UK in six months, we’ll put you in there. Keep doing that and stay ready.’ I’m a bit more of a name now than I was then, so I think I deserve a bit more than just a London slot once a year. Like, here I am opening up a Paramount numbered card and there’s a reason I’ve got that spot. The last few fights have been pay-per-views in similar positions.”
Making matters worse for Allen is that he’s well aware of how MMA fans view his lack of in-cage activity. In fact, while he was out for 2025, he admits he spent much of the year keeping an eye on the not-so-nice things being said about him on social media.
“I’ve just been very depressed, sitting at home injured and reading messages from people calling me shit,” Allen said. “‘Arnold, you’re shit. Why are you ranked? You shouldn’t be ranked, you c*nt.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t f*cking sit there on Tuesday and make the rankings.’ But yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing.”
