Bad chef, better fighter - UFC's Allen shows off cooking 'skills'

Authenticity can be hard to come by in the mixed martial arts game.

During the UFC's 30-year existence, there has been no shortage of brash characters. Some manage to back up their talk with performances inside the octagon, but many fall short under the bright lights.

UFC featherweight Arnold Allen is quite the opposite.

Ipswich's Allen regularly delivers in the cage, having won 19 of his 22 fights, and rarely opts to engage in verbal jousting with his rivals.

"I feel like the first half of my career, I got flak," Allen tells BBC Sport.

"I got people telling me that I've got no character and that I don't say anything. It's just because I'm a humble guy. I'm a fighter - I don't need to talk.

"I just do my training and believe in my skillset. I don't feel I need to go out there and ruffle any feathers. It's not me."

Instead, the 29-year-old reserves his talking for YouTube.

Allen, who goes by the nickname Almighty, started posting videos two years ago, primarily featuring his dad Pacer, a former British strongman, before moving on to make predictions on upcoming UFC events.

He has since branched out with his content, rating 'meal deals' from various supermarkets across the UK, showing his skills, or lack of, in the kitchen with a series called 'Almighty Cooking Blighty' and spending time with Fish, his cat.

"I'm trying to be my authentic self," Allen, ranked number four in the featherweight division, says.

"The joke is that I'm a bad chef. I love eating - that's a passion for sure.

"A fight career is only short, it's not the longest and it doesn't really come with a retirement plan. I'm trying to build something up. I have my own brand and I push things through YouTube.

"It lets people know that you're a bit of a character. It also keeps your name out there. It goes hand in hand and helps with the fights. Maybe you're more relevant and you're more likely to get opportunities than if you stay quiet and do nothing."

Allen was on the verge of earning a title shot when he last stepped into the octagon in April 2023, but a unanimous decision defeat by former featherweight champion Max Holloway in Kansas City halted a 12-fight win streak - the final 10 of those in the UFC - and put that dream on hold.

He struggled with mental and physical health in the aftermath and admits to feeling frustrated at the length of time he has been inactive.

Speaking about what he has been working on since his defeat by Holloway, Allen says: "I don't think it was technical issues, more like mental things and health and injuries.

"Life gets you sometimes and it's not even career related or training related. I dedicate my life to doing this sport and it sucks when you can't compete or, even when you're ready to compete, you're not offered fights.

"It's [mental health] something I dealt with internally. I have a real solid team, a team of world champions, Olympians, doctors, friends and all sorts. There is a great team around us, knowledgeable people that have been there and experienced things before."

Allen has the opportunity to return to the win column this weekend at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, when he faces number nine-ranked featherweight Movsar Evloev, 29, who is yet to lose in 17 fights.

Allen has spent the past 12 weeks in his "second home" Montreal, where he has family and has visited often since 2015, training at Tristar gym, which boasts retired former two-weight UFC champion Georges St-Pierre as a coach.

"I've done the longest camp of my life for this one - I've been ready for four months," says Allen.

"I'm ready to go, fully prepared and all bases covered.

"I want to put my name in the hat [for a title shot]. I want to have a good performance and make myself eligible for that title shot. I had a 10-fight win streak [in the UFC] before losing a close decision to one of the best in the division of all time.

"If I go out and make a dominant performance, I think I make a good claim for it."