Issue 132

September 2015

Despite fighting on less than a week’s notice, Arnold Allen celebrated his UFC debut with a dramatic, come-from-behind guillotine in Berlin.

Coming in as a late replacement for a scrap against a seasoned veteran isn’t the ideal way to make your UFC debut, but Arnold Allen isn’t the type of fighter to pass up an incredible opportunity, especially one he’s been working towards since he was a child.

So when he received the call to face Alan Omer on less than a week’s notice for the UFC’s latest trip to the O2 World in Berlin, Germany, the 21-year-old Brit jumped at the chance. Unsurprisingly, with little time to prepare for the biggest fight of his career, Allen was a significant underdog for the fight.

And for two rounds the bookies looked to be right on the money. Omer calmly peppered ‘Almighty’ with punches, jumping in and out of range and frustrating the youngster with his accurate strikes. The Iraq-born, German-based fighter even managed to take Allen’s back and attempt a rear naked choke in the second round.

Sensing his Octagon debut may be about to get off to a faltering start, Allen patiently waited for his moment to strike in the final round. And when opportunity knocked, he answered by locking in a Hail Mary guillotine choke that forced Omer to tap.

“I had my arm trapped across my body, but managed to wiggle it under his neck,” Allen explained to FO afterwards. “At first, I wasn’t going to go for it as I didn’t think it’d work, but I’m glad I did. 

“As soon as I locked my arms up I knew it was over. Although I didn’t realize the referee didn’t see him tap so it could’ve gone bad because I let it go straight away.” 

Not only did the featherweight earn an impressive submission victory on enemy territory, he also walked away with a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus too. And, according to Allen, he’ll use some of the $50,000 check he received to buy a new car due to an unflattering image drawn on his current vehicle.

“My car has a massive penis drawn down the side of it, so I might get a new car. I thought it would be funny, so I let one of my Muay Thai coaches draw down the side of it,” he chuckled.

He could be a new Octagon superstar in the making, yet Allen’s clearly still a big, but dangerous, kid at heart.