UFC Vegas 63: Arnold Allen beats Calvin Kattar then calls for title shot

Arnold Allen pictured kicking Calvin KattarGetty Images

Allen's victory extended his overall record to 19 wins and one defeat

By Paul Battison
BBC Sport

Britain's Arnold Allen beat Calvin Kattar at UFC Vegas 63 after the American hurt his knee.

After suffering the injury attempting a running knee in the first round, Kattar collapsed to the ground in the second following a leg kick by Allen, causing the referee to stop the fight.

"I'm devastated," said 28-year-old Allen. "But if (featherweight champion Alexander) Volkanovski is out for a while, let me have the interim title shot."

Australia's pound-for-pound number one fighter Volkanovski has held the title since 2019 and defended it four times, but is set to move up to lightweight to face new lightweight champion Islam Makhachev next year.

That creates the opportunity for an interim title fight to be made in the featherweight division, with the winner facing Volkanovski if he returns to the division.

After making his UFC debut in 2015, Allen, who is sixth in the featherweight rankings, has embarked on an unbeaten 10-fight win streak, currently the second-longest in the division behind Volkanovski's 11.

In 34-year-old Kattar, however, he faced a top-five ranked opponent for the first time. The fight was Allen's first five-round headlining bout in the UFC, while Kattar was topping his fourth successive card.

The contest was predicted by pundits to be a fight-of-the-night contender with both athletes possessing excellent stand-up skills, and it looked on course to live up to expectations until Kattar suffered his injury.

The opening four minutes were very technical, with both fighters using movement and their jabs to gauge range.

After Allen landed a couple of crisp left hands, however, Kattar attempted the knee strike which would ultimately rob the bout of its full potential.

He survived until round two but, after putting his weight on his right leg following a calf kick from Allen, he fell to the canvas and was unable to continue.

The manor of victory was similar to that of fellow top-ranked featherweight Yair Rodriguez, who beat Brian Ortega in July after Ortega suffered a shoulder injury in the first round.

Should an interim title fight be made, Allen and Rodriguez would be in contention, as well as Josh Emmett, who beat Kattar in June, and Max Holloway, who suffered defeat to Volkanovski in July.

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