After defeating Giga Chikadze at UFC 304, Arnold Allen has stayed out of action since July 2024 due to a shoulder injury. While the mentally challenging period derailed his ascent back to the top of the featherweight division, he is now set to make his return to the Octagon on UFC 324 against Jean Silva. He has now opened up about how he managed to overcome this challenging period.

Ahead of the bout, Arnold Allen sat down in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, where host Andrew Whitelaw delved into several interesting topics. The conversation started with Allen’s preparation for his upcoming fight.

The Brit stated, “It’s been tough. It’s a tough camp. Coming back from a long injury and long layoff, but yeah, very excited to be at the end of a camp and starting a new fight week after a layoff. So, things are going good and I’m excited to be back.” After consecutive losses to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev, Allen got back into the winning column after his victory at UFC 304. Just as he wished to get his way back to the title contention with some wins, the injury delayed it.

When asked about Allen’s thoughts on suffering such a long injury, he responded: “I got pretty down. I didn’t really stay sane. I lost my mind. But, you know, what helped is always working on something, always trying to improve something. And, I couldn’t do the things I usually do, but there was certain things I could do to improve myself.”

With just a few days left for UFC 324, Allen is currently motivated to put out an impressive performance. Amidst that, the British fighter is also not underestimating Silva’s skill set, as he feels it would be a great match between the two.

Arnold Allen previews Jean Silva fight

Jean Silva quickly rose from a prospect to a contender in the UFC featherweight division. Apart from his loss to Diego Lopes last September, ‘Lord’ has finished over every opponent he faced in the 145-pound weight class. Due to this, Arnold Allen is not undermining the Brazilian’s capabilities. While speaking with Andrew Whitelaw of EssentiallySports, Allen also shared his thoughts on how he sees the fight unfolding at UFC 324.

“He’s tough. He’s a tough old guy. We’re going to take some big shots, give some big shots. I think it’s just going to be an exciting fight. I could see it being a three round war. He’s tough as nails. He’s crazy. I’m a little crazy. I’m pretty tough too. I can hit hard so I think it’s going to be a good fight for the fans,” Allen told Whitelaw.

After beating Silva in his last fight, Lopes got the featherweight title shot. When asked about whether that’s a similar pathway Allen sees panning out for him, he said: “I mean it’s definitely worth a shot. Like if he got a title shot, I think, yeah. Surely, surely, why not?”

Allen is returning at UFC 324 after a long layoff, while Silva is coming off a loss in his last fight. The stakes are high for both fighters, as the division is becoming increasingly competitive with many rising contenders. Who do you think will win? Share your thoughts below!