UFC on ESPN 44 (UFC Kansas City) takes place this weekend, with an incredible Featherweight matchup between Max Holloway and Arnold Allen. Read our preview and breakdown of the main event below.
Find all the results from UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen here.
Former UFC Featherweight Champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Max Holloway enters another main event looking to add to his already stacked resume. Despite wins over nearly every other Featherweight of his generation, Holloway has lost three times to current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski, leaving him in a tough spot in the division.
Arnold Allen enters his second consecutive main event on one of the best winning streaks in UFC history, with ten wins from 10 fights. He faces the toughest test of his career, looking to earn a UFC title shot.
The UFC Kansas City co-main event features another Featherweight matchup between two always-exciting strikers, Edson Barboza and Billy Quarantillo, who both have all-time great highlight reels.
Read our preview of the entire UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen main card here.
The rest of the UFC Kansas City fight card features exciting names throughout the main card and prelims, including Dustin Jacoby, Chris Gutierrez, Clay Guida, Brandon Royval, Matheus Nicolau and Gaston Bolanos.
Find the entire UFC on ESPN 44: Holloway vs. Allen fight card and start times here.
UFC Kansas City Main Event Breakdown
The main event features possibly the highest-level fight, without a Champion being involved, that can be booked in the UFC today. Holloway, the former UFC Featherweight Champion and long considered the division’s GOAT, faces Arnold Allen, who is on one of the longest winning streaks in UFC history.
Max Holloway enters another UFC main event as one of the greatest fighters of all time, with his name all over the record books. Still only 31 years old, Holloway entered the UFC in 2012 at the young age of 20 with a record of 4-0-0.
Over the next decade, Holloway fought a who’s who of the division. After losing his UFC debut to future interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier, Holloway racked off three straight wins, including a split decision victory over Leonard Garcia.
Read our preview of the entire UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen main card here.
However, he would lose back-to-back fights to fellow prospects Dennis Bermudez and future double Champion Conor McGregor. Following two tough losses, Holloway went on what would become the longest winning streak in UFC Featherweight history.
After winning nine bouts in a row over the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, Cub Swanson, and Charles Oliveira, before earning an interim UFC Featherweight Championship bout against former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, a fight he would win via third-round TKO.
Holloway then went on to unify the titles by knocking out long-time UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and defended the belt twice in a rematch against Aldo and then against Brian Ortega.
Following those victories, Holloway would unsuccessfully challenge for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship against former foe Dustin Poirier before defending his title for the last time against Frankie Edgar at UFC 240.
In what was a surprise to many, Holloway’s 13-fight Featherweight win streak would end against the rising Alexander Volkanovski in a closely contested bout. In their rematch at UFC 251, Volkanovski would win again in another controversial victory, this time a split decision.
Read our preview of the entire UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen main card here.
After being considered the Featherweight GOAT, Holloway was left in the most challenging position of his career, having two, albeit close, losses to the new Champion. When many would retire or settle for super fights, Holloway went straight back to work, delivering beatdowns of rising prospects Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez.
With these victories, Holloway earnt another shot at Volkanovski but was unsuccessful again, this time in convincing fashion. Holloway enters UFC Kansas City in possibly the worst spot in the division, having not lost to anyone other than the Champion of the division in basically a decade.
Find all the results from UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen here.
Holloway has never been in a boring fight, and to what should be a surprise to nobody, he took the fight against one of the most avoided fighters in the UFC, Arnold Allen.
Allen enters his second consecutive main event, the biggest fight of his career, as the #4 ranked UFC Featherweight. Undefeated in the UFC, Allen is on the second-longest win streak in UFC Featherweight history, with victories in all 10 of his UFC bouts.
After going 9-1-0 on the regional scene, Allen made his UFC debut in 2015, defeating Alan Omer via a third-round guillotine choke. With wins in his next four bouts, Allen made his US debut in a high-profile matchup against former Strikeforce and WEC Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez, a fight he would win via unanimous decision.
With another two victories over Nik Lentz and Sodiq Yusuff, Allen earnt the showcase fight he was hoping for with a matchup in the UK against perennial contender Dan Hooker. Allen put on the best performance of his career, blitzing Hooker in the first round to win via TKO. In his first UFC main event, he backed this up by defeating Calvin Kattar in October.
Now entering the toughest test of his career, Allen faces Holloway in what should be a title eliminator bout if he is to come out victorious, with Volkanovski defending his title against interim UFC Featherweight Champion Yair Rodriguez in July.
Allen is truly a mixed martial artist, possessing a strong, striking game with a grappling acumen long believed impossible to exist in a UK fighter. Having trained with Firas Zahabi at the Tristar Gym in Canada and now with UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards at Team Renegade, Allen has gained the knowledge needed to become a UFC Champion.
Holloway enters UFC Kansas City likely with the same gameplan that has made him one of the best fighters of all time and the ‘best boxer in the UFC’. With all the records for most significant strikes in a single fight and UFC history, it is no secret that Holloway’s incredible boxing is his strength.
While a good striker, Allen will likely hope to bring the fight to the ground and tire out Holloway in the earlier rounds. He will also look to utilise his leg kicks to limit Holloway’s mobility. With Volkanovski the only man to outstrike Holloway in over a decade, it will not be an easy task for Allen.
If Allen is able to come out of UFC Kansas City victorious, he would immediately establish himself as a star of the sport and set up what will be a huge fight for the UFC Featherweight Championship. But across from him will be one of the sport’s greats, with Holloway looking to add another name to his UFC Hall of Fame resume.
Find all the results from UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen here.
One response to “Streaking Allen Meets Legendary Holloway: UFC Kansas City Main Event Preview”
Damn I put my money on the wrong guy