Movsar Evloev kept rolling Saturday when he defeated arguably his toughest test to date in Arnold Allen.
The featherweight bout kicked off the UFC 297 main card at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) won a closely contested decision unanimously (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
When the dust settled and it was time for the decision, both men sported damage on their faces.
After a close first round, Allen (19-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) sustained left eye swelling as the result of a staggering Evloev combination in Round 2. The set of blows had him rattled internally, but he regained himself well on the stool.
In Round 3, Allen came out like a man on a mission. He stalked Evloev with a sense of urgency and threw with semi-reckless abandon. He stuffed many of Evloev’s wrestling attempts throughout the fight, particularly in Round 3.
A frequently used defensive mechanism was a choke attempt. In one pivotal sequence, Allen grabbed a front headlock of Evloev and landed a trio of knees. As the knees landed, Evloev’s left hand continually elevated off, then returned to, the canvas.
Referee Marc Goddard ruled the knees illegal and called timeout. The skin of Evloev’s head was shredded as a result of the blows, but he was deemed good enough to continue. Goddard gave Allen a stern warning and the action continued. Allen continued his pressure attack, but ultimately was unable to get the finish he sought.
EIGHT IN A ROW 🤯@MovsarUFC remains undefeated in the UFC ‼️
[ #UFC297 | Watch LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV NOW ] pic.twitter.com/yilrR4AgoY
— UFC (@ufc) January 21, 2024
After the win during his in-cage interview, Evloev indicated he thinks a shot vs. the winner of the UFC 298 main event title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Illia Topuria is out of the question. Evloev has yet to lose in his professional career and also holds wins against Diego Lopes and Dan Ige among others.
With the defeat, Allen has lost two fights in a row. His previous outing was in April when he lost a hard-fought decision to Max Holloway.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 297 results include:
- Movsar Evloev def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Garrett Armfield def. Brad Katona via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sean Woodson def. Charles Jourdain via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ramon Taveras def. Serhiy Sidey via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:12
- Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:03
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 3, 4:21
- Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:17
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
