Arnold Allen will return to the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 324, as the veteran featherweight looks to remind the division of his place in the contender conversation when he faces Jean Silva on Saturday night.
“Yeah I’ve just been very depressed and sitting at home injured and reading messages from people calling me ‘sh*t’,” Allen joked with reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“‘Arnold, you’re sh*t. Why are you ranked? You shouldn’t be ranked.’ And I’m like I don’t f*cking sit there on Tuesday and make the rankings. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Allen (20-3) has dealt with his share of bad luck on the injury front, facing one setback after another. Now healthy and ready to return, he’s eager to step back into the Octagon.
“I’m loving it to be honest. I’m so happy to be back. There was moments where, maybe me being an idiot, but like there was moments of me thinking it wasn’t going to come. Every time I get back training there’s a little set back,” he said.
“Surgeons passing me around, but everything’s been good. I’m here, touch wood, and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love. Doing what I’ve worked for since I was 12-years-old. This is my dream.”
He’ll face Silva, who is known not only for his chaotic fighting style but also for the antics he uses to get inside an opponent’s head. Allen knows to expect it, but after meeting Silva outside of competition, he admits he’s a fan.
“I’ll be honest, I think he’s a lovely bloke, he’s a nice guy. We had a hug and a handshake. Hugged his wife, yeah, lovely guy. I know he does a lot of gamesmanship and stuff, but he’s a top bloke,” he said.
Watch the entire media day scrum with Arnold Allen above. He faces Jean Silva at UFC 324 on Saturday night.
