UFC results: Max Holloway ends Arnold Allen’s long win streak

Round 1

Both men stand southpaw. Allen with a couple of leg kicks early on. He lands the first and misses the second.

Another leg kick seems to land for Allen, but Holloway claims it was a groin strike. The action is briefly paused.

Back under way. Holloway fires off a flurry of punches. He blocks a head kick, then sees one of his own blocked.

Lots of chants for Holloway, who is clipped with a left hook. He blocks another head kick, and throws an oblique kick. Now a jab to the body of Allen.

Another flurry from Holloway, who punches high then to the body. Lots of pressure from Allen nevertheless. The Briton blocks a cross.

Again Holloway lands a combination of punches upstairs, and Allen is put off balance. Allen with a decent left cross now. Holloway misses a spinning back kick to the body. He then lands a hard roundhouse kick to the body, though.

Good round for Holloway.

It’s time! Here we go!

Meanwhile, Allen’s most notable wins have come in his last two fights. In March 2022, he starched Dan Hooker in Round 1, and he pressured Calvin Kattar to the point of injury last October.

Holloway’s most notable wins have come against featherweight legend Jose Aldo (twice), Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis, Charles Oliveira and Yair Rodriguez.

There are more names to list, but the above have all been world champions (Rodriguez is currently the interim UFC featherweight champion).

Allen is dancing to Holloway’s walkout music.

Now here comes Holloway, taking his time.

Allen is out first, to boos in Kansas City.

Allen told The Independent and other outlets in February: “I really enjoyed that streak [Holloway] went on, taking out all the top contenders. That 13-fight streak he went on is one of the better streaks there’s been in the UFC. That was pretty incredible.”

Also: “If we’re talking straight boxing, I think [I’m better]. MMA is a different sport, and it doesn’t really translate, but yeah, I think so. I’m not gonna stand there and go blow for blow; I’m gonna move out the way, make you miss, and make you pay. I think Calvin landed a crazy amount of shots on him in that [2021] fight as well. They both sort of just obliged each other, stood in each other’s punching range; I ain’t doing that!”

When asked about Holloway’s chin, he said: “It’s definitely a factor. It’s not like football, where you can play week-in, week-out, and if you lose 10 games in a row you take no damage. Your body gets damaged, your brain gets hurt, everything takes impact. You’re more susceptible to cuts, scar tissue, and all that stuff.

“One thing a coach of mine said to me before was... it was more for young guys in the gym, taking shots by being silly, putting their hands down and stuff, but he said: ‘If someone told you there was a total number of shots you could take until your chin was gone, every shot would count.’ If someone said, ‘You’ve got 100 shots until your chin goes,’ you’d respect every shot. The thing is: That is a reality, we just don’t know the number. Everyone’s different.”

Allen will hope that Holloway’s number is up.

Holloway is still young, but he has absorbed a lot of damage over the years. There are questions over whether his chin will simply give way one day, and whether that day will be today.

Meanwhile, the key question around Allen is whether the versatile featherweight is ready to succeed in a test like this.

Whatever the result, there will be a lot of ‘I told you so’s.

Holloway, 31, is a former featherweight champion, who is looking to bounce back from his third defeat by reigning title holder Alexander Volkanovski. The Hawaiian is 23-7 as a pro, and his most recent outing was in July 2022.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Allen is 19-1 and has won 12 straight fights. The Ipswich fighter, 29, last fought in October, beating Calvin Kattar.