Arnold Allen used pace and pressure to outwork Giga Chikadze over three rounds to put an end to his two-fight skid and get back in the win column at UFC 304.
While he had a bit of a rough start to the night, Allen just kept coming after Chikadze with each passing minute and the relentless aggression finally wore down the Georgian featherweight. The second half of the fight really showed Allen’s resolve as he bloodied Chikadze and just never gave him room to breathe until the action came to a close.
When it was over, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 with Allen getting the nod to kick off the main card.
“He’s a great striker,” Allen said about Chikadze. “Like I said in the fighter meeting, I’m a great striker, too. Put me up with the big boys.”
It was a kick heavy offense from Chikadze as he continuously launched his right leg, constantly switching up his target between the head and the body. Allen came back up top with fast and powerful hands while making sure to showcase good defense to avoid those kicks from Chikadze.
It wasn’t until late in the opening round when Allen finally connected with a huge hook but Chikadze was ready to fire right back at him with a wild exchange including a flying knee just before the horn sounded.
While his kicks were incredibly effective, Chikadze also started developing a nasty lead jab that was just stabbing Allen in the face repeatedly. Chikadze’s movement was really giving Allen fits because he just wasn’t able to cut off the cage and he just didn’t have as much speed as his opponent.
It wasn’t until Chikadze started to slow down thanks to the constant pressure coming from Allen that the Brit was finally able to begin catching him with combinations, including several stiff punches that landed clean. Allen continued to march forward while finally closing the distance on Chikadze as the featherweights traded strikes on the feet.
Allen’s left hand kept finding a home on Chikadze’s chin and he really just kept up the attacks with little resistance from his opponent.
The tough start gave way to a great end for Allen as he did enough to get the win and maintain his spot among the best featherweight division.
