Report: Arnold Allen set to face UFC star in UFC 324 return

UFC featherweight contender Arnold Allen is set to face a knockout artist for his reported return on the upcoming UFC 324 card.

As Alexander Volkanovski kicks off his second UFC featherweight title reign after winning at UFC 314, many surging contenders are in the mix for his upcoming title defense. Diego Lopes made an intriguing case for a rematch with an impressive win at Noche UFC 3 earlier this year after falling to Volkanovski at UFC 314.

Yair Rodriguez and former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling are also in the mix to be Volkanovski’s next opponent after recent victories.

One of the few top featherweight contenders who hasn’t faced Volkanovski is Arnold Allen, who snapped a two-fight skid with an impressive win over Giga Chikadze last year. Allen was on a 12-fight winning streak before back-to-back losses to Movsar Evloev and Max Holloway, both of which were closely contested fights.

As Allen looks to get back into the featherweight title mix, he’s reportedly set to face a dangerous challenge for his comeback fight.

Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva in the works for UFC 324

As first reported by MMA Fighting‘s Mike Heck, the UFC is targeting a fight between Allen and top contender Jean Silva for UFC 324 in January. As of this writing, the fight isn’t official, and nothing has been announced regarding the matchup by the UFC brass.

Silva lost to Lopes at Noche UFC 3 earlier this year in his first defeat in the UFC Octagon. He’s finished the likes of Bryce Mitchell, Melsik Baghdasaryan, and Drew Dober during his promotional tenure.

Silva, a well-renowned knockout artist, will look to hand Allen his first-career knockout defeat. Allen has never finished in his professional career.

UFC 324 marks the promotion’s broadcasting rights move to Paramount+ after a long partnership with ESPN. The full UFC 324 card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, including the main event.