Arnold Allen Disappointed He Couldn’t Get Statement Win Against Calvin Kattar

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.

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.”