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#2 UFC Featherweight division: Arnold Allen vs Sodiq Yusuff
This fight just looks fabulous on paper. It’s a clash of two of the UFC’s brightest Featherweight prospects, and the only criticism would be that perhaps they should’ve been kept apart for longer.
Yusuff is a product of Dana White’s Contender Series. Power-punching is the name of the Nigerian's game. He’s 4-0 in the UFC, with two knockouts to his name. Yusuff isn’t the most technical striker, but he makes up for that with brutal power and incredible speed.
Even in fights where he looks out-skilled on the feet, his power allows him to pull through. He has taken impressive decision wins over Sheymon Moraes and Andre Fili.
Allen, meanwhile, is a native of England who trains at Canada’s famed Tri-Star gym under Firas Zahabi. ‘The Almighty’ came into the UFC with a reputation as a grappler, but over the years, his striking has developed excellently.
He now displays a pretty solid boxing game, complete with a good jab – just as you’d expect for a Tri-Star product.
Sure, Allen doesn’t have too many finishes in his UFC ledger – just two in fact – but anyone who’s capable of going 7-0 in one of the UFC’s most loaded divisions is a real deal.
In terms of this fight, it should come down to a simple question: would Allen be able to avoid Yusuff’s power for 15 minutes and outpoint him?
‘The Almighty’ is the superior fighter by far from a technical standpoint, but it is tricky to see how he’ll deal with Yusuff’s power, should the latter land. However, it’s worth noting that Allen always has his grappling to fall back on if he can’t outpoint Yusuff standing. He has also fought a couple of big hitters before – Gilbert Melendez and Makwan Amirkhani – and survived.
Overall, Allen should be the favourite here and will most likely win a decision, but you can’t count Yusuff out due to his brutal power.
The Pick: Allen via unanimous decision.
