Arnold Allen has expressed concern over Alexander Volkanovski‘s decision to defend his featherweight title at UFC 298 less than four months after suffering a brutal knockout, fearing it may be too soon for the 35-year-old champion to return to the ring.
Arnold Allen’s got some thoughts on the upcoming UFC 298 title fight. He’s not sure who he’s backing yet, but he’s got some concerns about Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski’s set to defend his featherweight title on Feb. 17. He’ll be up against undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria in the main event of the Anaheim pay-per-view. But here’s the thing. This fight comes less than four months after Volkanovski got knocked out by UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. And it was a brutal knockout, too.
Allen’s got some worries about Volkanovski’s quick turnaround. He’s wondering if the 35-year-old champ might be making a mistake.
Allen voiced his concerns on The MMA Hour. He said, “I haven’t set a pick, but I don’t like how soon Volk’s coming back after that fight.” He thinks Volkanovski should’ve taken a longer break from the gym, or at least avoided sparring for a month or so.
But if Volkanovski’s the type to dive right back in, Allen hopes he’s in top shape. He acknowledges that Topuria’s a solid contender. He’s got good boxing, wrestling, and jui-jitsu skills. He’s a solid black belt and poses some real challenges.
Allen’s looking forward to an interesting fight. But he’s also hoping that Volkanovski’s decision to fight so soon doesn’t tarnish his legacy.
Volkanovski’s got a pretty impressive record. He’s been undefeated as a featherweight since his UFC debut in 2016. He’s one of the greatest 145-pound fighters in MMA history, with victories over big names like Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez. This fight against Topuria will be his sixth title defense.
But Volkanovski’s also the oldest champ under 170 pounds in UFC history. And his invincible image got a bit tarnished in 2023, when Makhachev beat him twice. The rematch at UFC 294 was particularly rough. Volkanovski stepped in as an injury replacement on short notice and suffered a devastating head-kick knockout.
Allen compared MMA to boxing. He said if Terence Crawford, the pound-for-pound king of boxing, were in Volkanovski’s shoes, he wouldn’t even consider fighting under these circumstances. But MMA’s a different beast, with different expectations for its athletes.
Allen admitted that he might’ve made the same decision as Volkanovski. But he was still surprised that the featherweight champ accepted the Makhachev rematch in the state he was in.
Allen said, “I mean, I don’t know how much money he made. I’m sure it’s [a lot] more than I make.” He joked that if he were offered $10 million, he’d take it. But he also pointed out that Volkanovski, as the pound-for-pound king, will likely have more big paydays in the future.
Allen was surprised when he saw Volkanovski had taken the fight. He’d seen a post from Volkanovski showing stitches in his arm and indicating he wasn’t training much. Allen’s reaction? “What the f***?”