Arnold Allen out of UFC 204 fight with Mirsad Bektic
The UFC's return to England is down an up-and-coming Brit.
Arnold Allen is injured and out of his UFC 204 bout with Mirsad Bektic, MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani confirmed with sources Thursday. The news was first reported by MMAjunkie.
The bout was set to open the UFC 204 main card Oct. 8 in Manchester, England. The nature and severity of Allen's injury is unknown. The UFC will seek a replacement to face Bektic.
Allen (11-1) is 2-0 in the UFC and coming off a unanimous decision win over Yaotzin Meza in February. Overall, the Suffolk native has won four straight. Allen, just 22 years old, is one of the top prospects in Europe right now.
Bektic (10-0), another highly regarded prospect, is making his return from a knee injury. The American Top Team product has not fought since beating Lucas Martins by second-round TKO in May 2015. Bektic, 25, is 3-0 in the UFC.
UFC 204 is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion and hometown boy Michael Bisping and challenger Dan Henderson. In the co-main event, Gegard Mousasi takes on Vitor Belfort in a middleweight contender bout.