A win at UFC 297 this weekend could put England's Arnold Allen on a collision course with Australian featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.
But first, both men must overcome interesting challenges in the form of a rapid rise to the rookies in the 145-pound ranks.
Allen, the third seed in the division, will face ninth-ranked Movsar Ivlov in Toronto this weekend, as Volkanovski defends his title against Ilya Topuria at UFC 298 next month.
Starting this weekend, Main Event on Kayo Sports and Foxtel will be the exclusive home for UFC Pay-Per-View events in Australia.
But Arnold wonders if Volkanovski is rushing into the Topuria fight too quickly after his knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October.
“He usually seems pretty smart in his approach — and I think that's easy to say for me because I didn't get the kind of money and all the incentives that were offered to him in that last fight — but it seemed a little bit off,” Allen said. For this header.
“It seems like something he wouldn't do.
“A very smart, calculated fighter does that? Now, on the back of that, on the back of a knockout loss straight into another training camp?
“Again, that was another error in judgment in my opinion. I hope he recovers from that and that his training camp is great, because it would be a shame to see his legacy so tarnished by some mistakes.”
In the wake of Makhachev's loss, Volkanovski revealed that he had been struggling with some mental health issues.
Allen praised the Australian's move and sincerely wished his potential future rival a speedy recovery.
“He's one of the best featherweights ever, but he came out and talked about his own problems,” he said. “In my mind, I'm like, 'He's done everything I want to accomplish,' and then he has the world at his feet.”
“But he's a human being, and I just hope that's not what drives these decisions to stay so active and keep his mind off what's bothering him. I want to see the best version of him.”
First, Allen must contend with the 29-year-old Ivlov, who is 17-0 as a pro and 9-0 in the UFC.
Despite the difference in rankings, Allen believes a good win will put him back in title contention following his defeat to Max Holloway in April.
“It's good timing for him, he's undefeated and he's on a tear,” Allen said. “It's nice though, because I remember when I was in that position, the fighters above me wanted to protect their position.
“They didn't want to fight.
“But, there are easier fights in the rankings, so a win puts me back in the title picture and among the elite of the division again.”
Allen need not look far for inspiration. Both compatriots Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall currently own UFC gold, and the 29-year-old is desperate to join them.
“When Leon won the title, I was training with him and being around him, and that was really inspiring being part of those camps and seeing his work ethic,” he said. “Then for Tom, he's like me and his dad was in his corner.
“When he won the title, he gave the belt to his father.
“This is exactly what I want to do – give the belt to my father. He probably won’t know what to do with it, but this is the moment I want and this is the moment I envisioned for myself and my father.
