The list of contenders lining up to challenge Ilia Topuria at 155 pounds keeps getting longer.
‘El Matador’ is still early in his reign as the UFC lightweight champion, having moved up after a brief spell as featherweight titleholder and quickly claimed gold in his new division.
Since knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June, Topuria has had no shortage of challengers looking to be first in line for a shot at the belt.
The lightweight division is packed with talent, and fighters like Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker – both headlining UFC Qatar – are just as eager for a title shot as Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje.
But it looks like another big name could soon be joining that chase from a weight class below.
Arnold Allen reveals lightweight plan as he targets first fight in 16 months
Arnold Allen has not fought since his win over Giga Chikadze at UFC 304 last July.
He has been sidelined by a serious shoulder injury suffered during that fight, and currently sits just outside the featherweight top five.
The long recovery period seems to have pushed Allen towards a change.
He recently confirmed on social media that he plans to move up to lightweight, saying he has added significant muscle mass while rebuilding his shoulder.
“I’m going to lightweight because I’ve put on a lot of muscle mass rebuilding my shoulder,” Allen wrote.
“It’ll be tough to make 145 again,” he stated.
Ilia Topuria already has Britain’s Paddy Pimblett to contend with at 155 pounds
If Allen does move up to lightweight, he will be another Briton joining the chase for Topuria’s title, along with Pimblett.
The 30-year-old has been pushing for a title shot ever since he and ‘El Matador’ faced off at UFC 317, but there is still no fight on the books.
When asked about the situation in his most recent comments, Pimblett questioned why the bout had not been finalised yet.
He said to JNMedia: “Me and Topuria’s got the storyline built in, it’s all there.
“I don’t know why it’s not already announced and made and written in a contract. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.”
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