Arnold Allen told MMA Junkie prior to UFC Fight Night 276 that he was going to show one of his best octagon performances against Melquizael Costa. He did just that.
Allen (21-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) largely had his way with Costa (27-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s featherweight headliner from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and now he’s back on the winning track and eager to keep busy.
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The Brit has lost only to Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev and Jean Silva during his MMA career, but otherwise no one has been able to solve the puzzle of “Almighty.” Those defeats came at critical points for Allen when he was trying to make a push for a title shot, but it hasn’t deterred him.
It’s a hard ask for anyone to become champion in this division, but if Allen is able to stay healthy and build up some momentum, his skillset is right there with the absolute elite at 145 pounds.
Although Allen said in the cage he would love to avenge his losses, he is also realistic in that rematches probably aren’t in play right now. Instead he took aim at Yair Rodriguez, the former interim UFC featherweight champion who hasn’t fought since April 2025.
Despite his long layoff, Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is still holding on to the No. 5 spot in the official UFC rankings. Allen should probably bump him due to a more recent win and Rodriguez’s inactivity, but regardless, they should be fighting over that placement.
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The updates around Rodriguez have been minimal at late. There’s no clear sign of when he will get back in the cage, but given the divisional landscape, it’s an appropriate fight to make. He makes the matchmaker’s job easy with this one.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 117 matchmaker: Who’s next for Arnold Allen after win?
