MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Kansas City, a five-round featherweight bout between champion Max Holloway and Arnold Allen. The event takes place on Saturday, April 15 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Max Holloway (-180)
Holloway (23-7) is the No. 2 ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old Hawaiian fighter has been in the UFC for over a decade now, and he has been arguably the best featherweight in the sport for the majority of the past 10 years. Holloway has fought the who’s who of 145lbs and, for the most part, he has done very well against all of them. He is coming off a decision loss to the champ Alexander Volkanovski, but he remains an elite fighter despite that recent defeat he had.
Arnold Allen (+150)
Allen (19-1) is the No. 4 ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 29-year-old Brit is undefeated in the UFC with a 10-0 record and he has looked great ever since joining the promotion almost 10 years ago. He has shown tremendous striking skills during that stretch as well as solid grappling. It still feels like he is untested in certain areas of the game, but from what we’ve seen of him so far, he is elite. If he can go out there and beat Holloway, then a title shot could be looming soon for Allen.
Fight Breakdown: I am very much looking forward to this featherweight main event between Holloway and Allen. For many years, Holloway has been one of the best featherweights in the world, but he has also taken a lot of damage in his recent fights, so we do not know where he is at this point in his career. On paper, Holloway is still a young fighter, but with so many wars on his resume, it’s possible the damage has added up and he could be on a decline now. Allen, meanwhile, has won 10 fights in a row but he hasn’t been tested nearly as much as Holloway. In many ways, Allen is a wild card in this fight just because he has looked so good in the UFC, but we still have question marks about him. This should be a very intriguing fight to watch play out, and I’ll go with Allen for my pick. I think there is more upside for him to win this fight, and I’ll take Allen as an underdog here.
Prediction: Arnold Allen via decision
