Raleigh, NC — After a hard-fought three rounds in an entertaining scrap, Arnold Allen once again had his hand raised at UFC Raleigh. Then came time for the winner to speak. Opponent Nik Lentz had already departed. Instead, Allen was then ushered out of the octagon.
No post fight interview in sight. How about some recognition?
“Be nice to get an interview after the fight, wouldn’t it?” Allen stated after the fight, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “I thought a card like this, me and Nik, he’s a veteran, he’s fought everyone, he’s been around forever, he’s a fan favorite — I thought we’d at least be on the main card.”
“Maybe they did it for people in England,” he posited. “I doubt it.”
It’s certainly an odd situation, given Allen’s standing in the UFC. He’s yet to taste defeat in the octagon. Seven straight wins in the promotion. 16-1 overall with the win over Lentz.
If the answer is to be more vocal, however, Allen isn’t biting. Asked about callouts, he said simply that “my job is to train, turn up, beat someone up.” Besides which, even aiming up the ladder doesn’t necessarily help. “The rankings have proven time and time again they don’t mean nothing,” Allen said.
A bag of ice pressed to his arm — “I threw a lot of jabs, and maybe rolled my wrist or something,” he suggested — Allen was for the most part happy with his performance.
“First round, I thought it was a little up in the air,” he said, when asked about the decision. “Second round I definitely thought it was mine. Third round, I thought it was mine all day as well. I was very confident in the decision. If I didn’t get the decision, I would have shouted robbery.”
Asked whether he thinks Lentz is shouting that now, Allen responded by saying “he’s crazy if he is.”
