Arnold Allen came out uncharacteristically aggressive tonight against Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night 204 and it paid off for him big-time with a stunning first round TKO victory.
Round One:
Allen blocks a punch from Hooker with a high guard. Hooker looking for the jab, but Allen is keeping just out of range.
Low kick for Allen. Hooker looking for that too. Punch lands for Allen. He goes for a low kick and almost stumbles afterwards.
Suddenly Allen lands a big punch and seems to stun Hooker. Allen seeks to capitalize as he starts throwing a relentless flurry of left and right hands at his opponent. Hooker in real trouble here but refuses to go down.
A big punch from Hooker hurts Allen for a moment, but then he goes back to teeing off on him and Hooker is being stunned again by big hooks, leaving him wobbled, but somehow still on his feet.
The action slows momentarily and Hooker definitely needs this time to recover. Unfortunately for him Allen goes on the attack again, landing a big straight, then a head kick connects and more heated punches behind that.
The bloodied Hooker is too tough for his own good as he’s backed up against the cage eating more big shots but still refusing to give up and in the end the referee mercifully steps in to save him from further punishment, resulting in a huge TKO victory for Allen at 2.33mins of the opening round.
This was Allen’s biggest match-up to date and unquestionably his biggest performance, extending his winning streak in the UFC to nine fights in the process while raising his stock to a whole new level.
As for Hooker, after having already been in some brutal battles at lightweights in recent times that didn’t go his way, he’s now found the going no easier down at featherweight, leaving him with just one win from his last five fights.
