Arnold Allen is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s featherweight division, which already boasts plenty of star power. Still, with a stoppage rate above 50 percent, the Englishman has become a must-watch athlete, especially after taking more than a year off from the Octagon. Now ranked No. 6, Allen returns this Saturday night at UFC 324 for his first fight of the year against Jean Silva, aiming to move one step closer to a title shot.

At 32, Arnold Allen has spent over a decade in the UFC but hasn’t yet challenged for the championship. Even so, his resume shows how deep he’s gone, having faced elite opponents like Dan Hooker and Max Holloway. A big part of his journey comes from his parents’ support, particularly his father, who sparked his passion for MMA.

Who are Arnold Allen’s parents?

Pacer Allen is Arnold Allen’s father, while his mother’s name hasn’t been made public. Still, Arnold credits much of his fighting skill to her, calling his mom a true “brawler.” In fact, in an interview with Ariel Helwani, the 30-year-old revealed, “My mom is insane, man, do not get on the wrong side of my mom.”

Moreover, she often got into street fights, and Arnold joked that she probably fought more times than he had. Mama Allen even has a few missing teeth, according to her son. 

Despite her wild side, Arnold stays close to his mother; however, the promotion has banned her from attending his fights because she “gets out of control.” When Helwani asked if he would ever lift the ban, Arnold replied that he would only allow it if she stayed sober, which makes his mother scarier than most.

 What is the ethnicity of Arnold Allen’s parents? 

Like his son, Arnold Allen’s father holds British nationality and English ethnicity, although little is publicly known about his mother. The Briton was born and raised in Suffolk, a ceremonial county in East England. Allen developed a passion for mixed martial arts early on, beginning his journey as a teenager.

After competing in several amateur fights, he decided to turn professional in 2012. He then moved through various promotions across Great Britain, including a brief stint at Cage Warriors. Eventually, three years into his professional career, he seized an exciting opportunity to join the UFC.

What does Arnold Allen’s father do? 

Pacer Allen is very famous in the strongman world. He helped his son, the 6th ranked featherweight in UFC along with his brother Jake Allen.

Their father was an English strongman who later transitioned to MMA and had a short career in the combat sports world. According to Sherdog, he had fought 5 times in MMA, 3 times as an amateur and twice as a professional. He also has a record of 1-2 in amateur MMA and a professional record of 1-1.

How good is Arnold Allen’s relationship with his father?

The father and son duo have a loving relationship because ‘Almighty’ has even poked fun at him during a previous interview at UFC Liverpool. Allen even joked about his dad taking steroids since he was a Strongman. He admitted that he knew what his dad was doing and it was an inside joke between them. He said, “It’s a joke me and my Dad have had always. When we were growing up, since the early 2000s, he was taking a lot of steroids when he was doing the strongman events — it was just the culture they were all involved in — they were all taking steroids.” Allen remembered catching his father injecting steroids just before a show, but he also remembered how his dad used to warn him about substances like these.

Allen loves his dad and was inspired by his dad’s fight videos, which made him pursue a career in UFC. The former strongman still appears on YouTube videos along with his son. On top of that, Pacer Allen has never missed a single UFC fight where his son was inside the Octagon. Allen has been in the UFC since 2015, and with his return in 2026, he will have competed for over a decade in the promotion.

How Arnold Allen’s father helped in his UFC journey

Arnold Allen showed an athletic streak from a young age. Moreover, watching his father, Pace Allen, build a name as a traveling strongman, he naturally gravitated toward sports. By his teenage years, Arnold had already developed a passion for MMA, just as the sport was exploding in popularity during the mid-2000s.

During this time, his father’s gym played a crucial role in shaping his skills. Arnold trained on his father’s old, worn-out equipment and homemade contraptions, including a hack squat machine crafted from tires and chains, learning to push himself in unconventional ways.

“There’s something about being in the garden with a rusty gym, with broken concrete and 30-year-old equipment that just makes you train that little bit harder. It’s been there as long as I can remember now. When the weather is good, I train there all year but when I’m in [fight] camp and the weather is bad, I’ll go inside, just because I don’t want to get sick or anything,” Allen once shared.

There’s no denying Allen’s rise in the division today. Growing up in Suffolk with two strong, formidable parents, his path to the UFC seemed destined. Now, he is just one step away from entering the top 5 in the featherweight division at UFC 324. What’s your take? Drop your thoughts below.