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Max Holloway will make his official octagon return on April 15 when he faces rising featherweight contender Arnold Allen at UFC on ESPN 44. The two men are in completely different stages of their careers. The Hawaiian great is a former champion at 145 lbs and is coming off a third loss to the same man.
Meanwhile, 'Almighty' is at the helm of a 12-fight win streak as he storms his way up the divisional hierarchy. The Englishman has been relatively unscathed in his fights thus far.
The same cannot be said for 'Blessed', who usually absorbs a tremendous amount of damage, even in fights that he dominates. Depending on several variables, the bout can end up going in one of countless ways. This list goes over five different ways that their fight can transpire.
#5. Arnold Allen's low kicks will determine the fight
Arnold Allen is, first and foremost, a boxer by trade. He is a heavy-handed puncher with a breadth of crisp counters that benefit from his natural punching power and speed. In his latest bouts, however, he has showcased further development as a mixed martial artist. His kicks, for example, looked sharp against Calvin Kattar.
While he sometimes targets his opponent's legs with low kicks, he'll have to pay careful attention to Max Holloway's noted vulnerability to low kicks. If 'Almighty' was bluffing when he claimed not to have watched any footage on 'Blessed', then he'll be well-prepared to use his low kicks to punish him.
Holloway relies on his jab to build combinations. Unfortunately, a proper jab requires an extension of one's stance. So as 'Blessed' steps forward with his jab, his lead leg is always exposed. This was noted by reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, who first dethroned the Hawaiian with a low kick-heavy gameplan.
If Arnold Allen replicates this in some form, he'll frequently interrupt the Hawaiian's attempts to build into his trademark avalanche of punches.
#4. Max Holloway counters Arnold Allen's low kicks
While a gameplan that hinges on low kicks may very well pay dividends against Max Holloway, the Hawaiian may be better prepared for it than some might expect. If Arnold Allen incorporates low kicks, he may find that his opponent isn't as easy a target as he seemed in his first bout with 'The Great'.
When Alexander Volkanovski tried to use low kicks in their second bout to the same effect as their first encounter, he was dropped. Holloway developed sharp counters for low kicks. He feinted a jab with a half-forward step, convincing 'The Great' to throw low kicks to stop what he thought would be a jab.
Instead, Holloway simply slid his lead leg out of range while stinging Volkanovski over the top with counterpunches. If he can replicate this response against Allen if he tries to use low kicks the same way that Volkanovski once did, 'Blessed' may very well run away with a win.
#3. Max Holloway overwhelms Arnold Allen with volume
Arnold Allen has never been in the cage for 25 minutes, least of all against someone who will make him work as hard as Max Holloway. His long-term cardio remains questionable, especially given how powerful he is.
If his cardio starts to wane around the third round with two more rounds to go against Max Holloway, of all fighters, he'll be in for a brutal experience. The Hawaiian has broken numerous UFC records for strike differentials. Once his opponents begin to tire, he completely takes over fights.
He will, like he has against all of his recent opponents besides Dustin Poirier, Yair Rodriguez, and Alexander Volkanovski, overwhelm 'Almighty' with an avalanche of punches to dominate the second half of their fight.
#2. Max Holloway's chin finally gives up
Unfortunately, all granite chins eventually crack. Fighters who rely on their otherworldly toughness as their first and last form of defense reach a point when they can no longer withstand any more blows. Such fighters have absorbed far too much throughout their careers.
This is especially worrisome given Max Holloway's concerning display of concussion symptoms back in 2018. This led to his original matchup with Brian Ortega at UFC 226 being scrapped in favor of a later date. The sad truth is that Max Holloway has absorbed a tremendous amount of damage.
His last appearance inside the octagon was his trilogy bout against Alexander Volkanovski, wherein he was repeatedly rocked. In both of his wins over Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar, he still absorbed a lot of blows from the powerful strikers.
His past war with Dustin Poirier saw 'Blessed' absorb the most damage he's ever absorbed in his career. It may very well be the case that this damage finally catches up to him against Arnold Allen and he loses via KO.
#1. Arnold Allen wins via TKO
Even with the amount of damage Max Holloway has absorbed, it may very well be that his chin will hold up enough to prevent an outright knockout. But he might be on the decline, as many now suspect after his abysmal performance against Volkanovski in their trilogy bout.
During that fight, 'Blessed' struggled significantly against the Australian's speed. This does not bode well for him against Arnold Allen, who is frighteningly fast. Not only is he naturally fast and quick-footed, but he is also very mobile, so he might walk Holloway into heavy counterpunches.
If he lands enough shots to repeatedly rock his foe and maybe even drop him on occasion, the referee may take mercy on Holloway's health.
