It’s been years since Arnold Allen has been able to show his best, but he plans on changing that at UFC Fight Night 276.
Allen (20-4 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meets streaking featherweight Melquizael Costa (26-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in Saturday’s main event (Paramount+) at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Allen described his win over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez at UFC 239 in 2019 as his most refined showing, and he hopes to surpass that against Costa.
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“I think you’re going to see a career-best performance from me,” Allen told MMA Junkie. “I’m going to come out and expect to impress.”
Costa is on an impressive run, having won his past six fights in a row, four of them by finish. Allen recalls being the surging contender on the rise – until he ran into Max Holloway. The 32-year-old Brit now has lost three of his past four but sees Costa as an exciting matchup that could bring out the best in him.
“I think that’s why they made the matchup, right? We’re two aggressive southpaws,” Allen said. “He’s a finisher, I throw a lot of hands, both of us don’t really wrestle. I think he probably wrestles more than me. I’ve seen him wrestle in his fights a bit more, like trips and grappling. Yeah, two good strikers, aggresive strikers. He’s a finisher. I try and punch people. Yeah, it’s going to be good.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 117 headliner eyes ‘career-best performance’
