UFC featherweight contender Arnold Allen called out No. 5-ranked fighter Yair Rodriguez for his next fight inside the Octagon.
Allen had one of the best wins in his UFC career when he defeated Melquizael Costa in the main event of UFC Vegas 117, which took place on Saturday night at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Allen controlled the bout on the feet and on the mat and won on the scorecards with 49-46, 50-45, and 50-45 scores from the cageside judges.
Beating Costa, who was ranked No. 12 coming into the night, won’t necessarily bump the No. 7-ranked Allen up the rankings just yet. But it should at least get him the opportunity to fight someone ranked above him, and he has his eyes set on someone ranked at No. 5.
Arnold Allen Calls Out Yair Rodriguez
Speaking to Din Thomas on the UFC on Paramount+ post-show following UFC Vegas 117, Allen said that he wants to fight the No. 5-ranked contender at featherweight next.
“Yair, I don’t even know how he’s still up there (in the rankings). He’s had his title shot, so I don’t know how he’s still up there. Me and Yair, we’ve been booked in the past, but for whatever reason, it hasn’t happened,” Allen said. “To be honest, I don’t give a (expletive). I’ll fight anyone.”
Rodriguez has not fought since April 2025, when he defeated Patricio Pitbull at UFC 314. He essentially fights once per year now, but he has remained ranked so highly in the weight class because he has picked up key wins now and then to keep himself so highly ranked. But Allen is right in that Rodriguez is not very active, and he already had his chance to fight for the belt already three years ago, so it’s time for other contenders to get a shot at the top guys in the weight class.
Arnold Allen Has Had an Underrated UFC Career
Allen was signed to the UFC in 2015, and since then, he has racked up a 12-3 record inside the Octagon. The 32-year-old Brit has fought many of the best featherweights in the sport over the years, and he holds notable wins over the likes of Dan Hooker, Calvin Kattar, and Giga Chikadze. His only losses in the UFC have come against elite talents in Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev, and Jean Silva, so Allen has basically beaten everyone except for the featherweight division’s very best.
If Allen is going to reach his goal of fighting for the UFC featherweight title one day, then he will need to pick up a big, key win over one of these elite 145 lbs fighters if he is going to get a crack at the belt. Rodriguez would certainly be a start, as it would allow Allen to finally break into the top five in the weight class. It’s a great fight on paper, and one that makes sense either as a main event for a UFC Apex card, or perhaps as a main card bout on the Noche UFC card in September, which is rumored to take place in Phoenix.
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