Arnold Allen continued the strong start to his UFC career on Saturday when he defeated long-time veteran Nik Lentz at UFC on ESPN+ 24.
Allen (16-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) showed a more complete game than Lentz (30-11-2 MMA, 14-8-1 UFC), landing the more effective strikes and avoiding each takedown attempt that came his way to win by unanimous decision.
The featherweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 24 preliminary card at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., and streamed on ESPN+.
Allen was sharp on the feet in the opening round. He handled Lentz’s pressure well in the first few minutes, landing some solid counters that caused swelling to the face. Lentz pushed for the takedown and got a hold of Allen, but he couldn’t do anything meaningful with it. Lentz had his moments while looking to close the distance, but Allen remained in control.
It was more of the same in the second. Allen was patient and precise as he busted up Lentz’s face. Lentz, to his credit, remained persistent with his pressure and attempted to jump on any opening. Allen was in his groove already, though, and Lentz was out-pointed in another clear-cut round.
With the scales clearly tipped in favor of his opponent, Lentz needed to do something big in the final frame to sway the result in his favor. Allen didn’t allow a single takedown, though, and avoided taking any shots from Lentz. “Almighty” worked his effective striking down the stretch, taking the decision to stay unbeaten in the octagon.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 24 results include:
- Arnold Allen def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Justine Kish def. Lucie Pudilova via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Montel Jackson def. Felipe Colares via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
- Sara McMann def. Lina Lansberg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
- Brett Johns def. Tony Gravely via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:53
- Herbert Burns def. Nate Landwehr via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 2:43
