Arnold Allen’s path to victory Saturday was a bit unexpected but he got the job done in statement making fashion.
In case there were questions, Allen (20-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) proved he could stand with one of the division’s best strikers, as he defeated Giga Chikadze (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-29, 29-28). The featherweight bout opened up the UFC 304 main card at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Arnold Allen seemed to improve as the fight went on. After a close round that the judges scored for Chikadze, Allen pressed the action for the remaining 10 minutes. It was death by a thousand papercuts for Chikadze, who was slowly bloodied and bruises by Allen’s aggressive attack.
There were no knockdowns or significant damaging blows, but Allen’s change of rhythm and diverse striking arsenal puzzled the former Glory Kickboxing kickboxer Chikadze until the final bell.
With the victory, Arnold Allen snaps a two-fight skid comprised of defeats to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev. Those two losses were the only of his UFC tenure and came after a 12-fight winning streak.
As for Giga Chikadze, he loses for the second time in three outings. In his fight previous to Saturday, he defeated Alex Caceres by unanimous decision. That fight was in August 2023. Chikadze had not competed since then due to injury.