The time has come and UFC Kansas City: Holloway vs. Allen will wrap up with it's main event in the Featherweight (145 lb) Division between two of the best fighters on the planet. No. 2-ranked and former Featherweight Champion Max “Blessed” Holloway will square off against the unbeaten freight train that is England's No. 4 Arnold “Almighty” Allen. This fight is a perfectly matched main event with title implications you won't want to miss! Check out our UFC odds series for our Holloway-Allen prediction and pick.
Max Holloway is 23-7 as a mixed martial artist and has gone 19-7 in his UFC career with a championship belt to show for it. Any fight fan knows Holloway very well and can always expect for him to put on a show. Having won his fights against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, Holloway was dominated by Alexander Volkanovski in his shot for the title. With the title now held by Yair Rodriguez, Holloway feels like he has a great chance to be champion again if he can beat Yair a second time. First, he'll have to do what no man in the UFC has done yet: stop Arnold Allen. Max Holloway stands 5'11” and has a 69-inch reach.
Arnold Allen has a professional record of 19-1 and is currently undefeated in the UFC riding a 10-fight winning streak. It's one of the UFC's longest active winning streaks. His last three wins are against great competition in Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Hooker, and Calvin Kattar. Allen is just one win away from an undeniable title challenge and he'll look to get the job done against a legend of the sport. Allen stands 5'8″ with a 70-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Kansas City Odds: Max Holloway-Arnold Allen Odds
Max Holloway: -196
Arnold Allen: +152
Over (4.5) rounds: -128
Under (4.5) rounds: +102
How to Watch Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Stream: ESPN App, UFC Fight Pass, fuboTV
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Max Holloway Will Win
Max Holloway will go down as an eventual legend of the sport and has accomplished just about everything you can inside of the octagon. He still has a burning desire to recapture his title, but with a long career behind him, it's interesting to see how much longer Holloway will want to continue fighting at the highest level before walking away and focusing on other things. He's still the best boxer in the UFC and has looked sharp as ever with the striking in his wins. He's done a great job mixing in his leg attacks and still has yet to be knocked down in a UFC fight. At this point of his career, it'll be vital for Holloway to use his head movement and pop his shots with precision, much like he did against Calvin Kattar. Despite having a great chin, he won't be able to stand in front of Allen without geting hit.
Holloway looked like a slower version of himself in his last fight, but it's hard to look great when fighting Alexander Volkanovski. If Holloway can get back to finding the range and establishing his jab early, he'll be able to stave off the punching power of Allen. We've seen what he can do against less-skilled opponents in a stand-up fight. Holloway will need to be mindful of the takedown as Allen will likely shoot at some point. If Holloway can stay on his feet and get up quickly, he'll have the cardio to go all day with Arnold Allen. Look for Holloway to turn up his volume striking if this gets to the later rounds.
Why Arnold Allen Will Win
Arnold Allen has won his 10 consecutive UFC fight by running through his opponents. He has a tremendous chin and while he doesn't get hit too often, can take a clean punch easily. He's very good defensively and will only open up when he sees an opportunity for a big shot. He has great power for the weight class and can put opponents out of he lands clean. Ahead of this fight, Allen is looking very strong and will be the more physically imposing fighter in the ring. He certainly doesn't want to have a boxing match with Max Holloway, so Allen should look to wear him on the cage and find takedowns when available. He's got four submission wins under his belt and will have a big advantage on the ground over Holloway.
Arnold Allen will have to be mindful of his gas tank in this fight. Max Holloway is known for pushing a frantic pace and his opponents can tire out just trying to keep up with him. Allen will have to manage the distance and stay out of range from Holloway. He should look to add the wrestling in after the first round and try to expend Holloway's gas tank before his own. Holloway has a great chin, so it'll take a few shots from in-close to knock down the former champ for the first time. Look for Allen to be uber aggressive the moment Holloway indicates he's hurt in any way.
Final Max Holloway-Arnold Allen Prediction & Pick
Max Holloway is the moderate favorite on the odds and rightfully so. However, no ones been able to solve the puzzle of Arnold Allen and no one has had an answer for his physicality. It'll be interesting to see how Holloway manages the distance here. If Allen can get his hands locked a few times, Holloway will spend some time on his back. There's been murmurs of an injury to Allen, so he may try and wrestle here as it's the clearest path of victory for him. If Holloway wins this fight, it'll be in the final rounds as Allen's gas tank is still suspect. It could be worth live-betting Holloway if Allen starts to gas, but we'll still take Arnold Allen to get this win here.
Final Max Holloway-Arnold Allen Prediction & Pick: Arnold Allen (+152)
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