Exclusive Q&A: Arnold Allen wants to move up to lightweight

At 31, Arnold Allen is keeping his eye on the UFC featherweight belt.

The Englishman (20-3) who trains at Tristar alongside Firas Zahabi, former trainer of Georges Saint-Pierre, gave an interview to DAZN News.

DAZN News: You train at Tristar in Canada, but you are English. Why don't you train in England like the other English fighters?

Arnold Allen: When I first got to the UFC, I wanted to go train in one of the big gyms, and Georges St-Pierre was still training at the time. I always wanted to train alongside Georges St-Pierre. I always admired his rise and his contribution to the sport. And watching his training and work ethic, I always wanted to be in the room with those guys. So that's why I went to Tristar.

DN: You haven't fought since July. When can we see you again?

AA: I don't know yet. I tore something in my shoulder. I’ve just started rehab, so hopefully within the next few weeks, I'll be back to sparring and then looking at dates to fight.

DN: Who do you want to fight?

AA: Ideally, the highest-ranked opponent available. It was going to be Yair [Rodriguez]. We'll see how his fight pans out in the next couple of weeks. The division is going to change a lot by the time I'm able to return, so there'll be some interesting matchups. But for me, the highest-ranked opponent, that's what I want. If Yair wins, then I don't see why we wouldn't put that matchup together.

DN: You lost against Max Holloway. Now he's in lightweight. Could we see you move up one day?

AA: Yeah, definitely. Doing all this rehab work and different exercises, I've got a little bit heavier than usual. So lightweight could definitely be a realistic thing.

DN: What was the problem against Holloway ?

AA: Maybe too much respect. Maybe I didn't... I was too patient. It was my first time fighting for five rounds against a legend. I just didn't step on the gas soon enough. Just small tactical errors.

DN: Movsar Evloev is still undefeated. How good is he?

AA: He's very good. He should be fighting for the title. He's not the most active, but I understand why Diego Lopes is getting the shot. He's available for every opportunity and he's a surging contender. If he wins the belt, I don't see why they wouldn't have a rematch with Movsar and Diego.

DN: Do you want a rematch against him?

AA: Yeah, I would. I would love it. Ideally, in a perfect world, he wins the title and I get a rematch and I beat him for the title. That would be nice. I think I won the first fight.

DN: You don't have any champion in your division because Ilia Topuria moved up to lightweight. Who do you think will win, Alexander Volkanovski or Diego Lopes?

AA: It's a tough one, because Volk, obviously, has been knocked out twice recently. Diego Lopes comes out hard and fast and he's on a great streak. I think Lopes has to take him out in the first two rounds. He must not let Volkanovski build his confidence and should keep him wary of the shots. But if it goes past round two, I think Volkanovski wins. Rounds three, four, and five, Volkanovski wins. Lopes always gets tired. We've never seen him fresh in round three. He fights to kill.

DN: If he won, he becomes champion. He lost twice against Islam Makhachev. He lost against Ilia too. Do you think that you have the level to fight for the belt and win it?

AA: Yeah, absolutely. I would retire right now if I didn't believe I could be champion. There's no point in being in the sport if you don't believe you can be the best. I know we're prizefighters, but I want to be world champion.

DN: There is no English champion right now because Tom Aspinall is an interim champion. Could you be the next English champion?

AA: Yeah, I can see it. Paddy Pimblett, I think he's surging as well, and I think he's a legit contender. I think when he beats Michael Chandler, I think he'll be in with a shout. Tom Aspinall is going to unify soon, surely. Definitely, though, I believe in myself, and I think we've got some great talent in the country.

DN: Patrício Pitbull will start at UFC with a fight against Yair Rodriguez. If he wins, would that fight interest you?

AA: Yeah, definitely. If he wins, he'd be top five. Like I said earlier, I want to fight the best guys. I want to fight for the title and I want to prove my level.

DN: Do you have a pick for Chandler’s next fight against Paddy ?

AA I think Paddy Pimblett wins. Michael Chandler, everyone makes jokes and says he has low fight IQ. He fights crazy, and he does. Paddy Pimblett, I think he's a lot smarter than people think. I think in his earlier fights, he fought with a lot of passion. He was wild, swinging and throwing submissions. Now he seems to be more composed. He's focused and he has a great skill set. He's a very awkward opponent to fight, and that’s a compliment. You can't just rush him and throw punches. You can't just take him down and expect him not to throw up submissions. He's dangerous everywhere. And yeah, I think he'll get the win.

DN: What was the problem for you with Leon Edwards losing?

AA: [Sean] Brady had a good game plan. He just pressured him from the start. He didn't let Leon get into it. I wasn't there in the camp, so I didn't see how the training was going and what the game plan was and all those things. But yeah, Leon's a very slick, smooth striker. He's a counter-striker. When a guy pressures and just gets in his face, it's not ideal. So he needs to make some adjustments, maybe more pressure, maybe more aggression coming forward. And yeah, I think that was the problem.