What martial arts does Arnold Allen use in the UFC?

Arnold Allen is a British Featherweight MMA fighter who made a name for himself whilst climbing the ranks in the UFC. Here, he went on a huge undefeated streak and beat various high-profile fighters in the process. Most known for his devastating punches, Allen has defeated the likes of Makwan Amirkhani, Mads Burnell, and Dan Hooker amongst others.

Understandably, this has earned him a tough reputation. What’s more, Allen is also an entertainer. In an age where many fighters are happy to grind out effective wins through wrestling and cagey performances, Allen is the opposite. Often known for his heavy hitting punches, you could call him a knockout specialist.

Arnold Allen knows Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Although Arnold Allen is technically a purple belt in BJJ, it’s likely that he’s closer to a black belt in terms of skill and technique. Over the years, a few of his wins have come by way of submission which alludes to this. Before his UFC days, two of his wins were by triangle and rear naked chokes, and then after joining the UFC he won by a guillotine on his debut, and a front ninja choke later on against Mads Burnell. Generally speaking, the ninja choke has rarely been seen in MMA which proves just how versatile Allen’s submission game is.

Arnold Allen knows boxing

In his win against Dan Hooker, Allen famously threw a flurry of punches that seriously hurt his opponent. Here, he combined a mixture of jabs with big hooks to stagger Hooker who could barely stand up as a result. What’s more impressive is that he did this whilst barely receiving any punches back from Hooker, as he ducked and weaved whilst throwing his own strikes.

This shows an impressive combination of offensive and defensive boxing. Too often, fighters rush in and get over-excited, only to leave themselves exposed to counterstrikes. In fact, this can often be the downfall of dominant fighters who can even lose fights due to over-commitment. So, not only does this show his boxing skills but also a solid fight IQ as well.

Most of the time, Allen uses a southpaw stance, and arguably, his boxing is his strongest area as a fighter. Although he’s undoubtedly a mixed martial artist, his fighting style is best described as a classic boxer for the most part.

Arnold Allen uses defensive wrestling

Overall, Allen relies more on his striking compared to his grappling. As seen above, he can throw in different styles by using his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to finish opponents on the ground. Having said this, when it comes to grappling whilst standing, he mostly prefers to defensively wrestle, simply to avoid being taken down.

Like Conor McGregor used to do during his prime, Allen doesn’t really shoot takedowns or try to out-grapple his opponent. For the most part, he’ll simply try to wrestle to avoid being put down himself. For instance, in his fight against Jordan Rinaldi, Allen was nearly put to the floor by a single-leg takedown. Here, he showed good defensive wrestling to avoid the takedown and regain his composure, with both feet on the floor. Just seconds later, he would knock out Rinaldi and win the fight. This shows how defending a seemingly weak position can easily lead to victory moments afterward.

Arnold Allen knows Muay Thai

Whilst Allen mostly relies on conventional boxing when it comes to throwing strikes, he also mixes things up with a combination of Muay Thai and kickboxing too. For instance, if some fighters begin to back off too much and defend against his close-range punches, then Allen will throw in high kicks to keep them on their toes. Typically, he usually goes for a roundhouse kick by using his left leg. In his win against Nik Lentz, after bombarding his opponent with punches, Lentz would try and walk off, where Allen would catch him with kicks to the head.

Equally, if his opponent is just being too cagey then he’ll also aim to hit them with kicks due to their superior length when compared to throwing punches. From the clinch, Allen will also use his Muay Thai to throw in strikes. For instance, if he’s in an under-overhook position with an opponent then he’ll sneak in elbows if possible. Sometimes this is to disengage where he can happily return to boxing. Sometimes, it’s done to cause further damage.

Summary

Based on the above, it’s fair to say that Arnold Allen’s fighting style is mostly based on striking as opposed to grappling. Typically, he enjoys nothing more than throwing punches and knocking people out. At the same time, he can also grapple when called upon and certainly isn’t a one-trick pony either. Because of this, you could argue that Allen is a true mixed martial artist, as he’s able to constantly blend various styles together and get results from this.

It goes without saying that you have to be good to earn an elite reputation in the UFC. This is what Arnold Allen has done which has earned him his place amongst MMA royalty where British fighters are concerned.