Arnold Allen returns to the Octagon on Saturday night at UFC 324, as the veteran featherweight looks to reshape his place in the contender conversation when he faces Jean Silva on Saturday night.
“Yeah, I’ve just been really depressed and sitting at home injured and reading messages from people calling me ‘sh*t,’” Allen joked with reporters, including Cageside Press, on Wednesday.
“‘Arnold, you’re bad. Why are you ranked? You shouldn’t be ranked.’ And it’s like, I’m not going to sit there on Tuesday and make the rankings. That’s what I did.”
All (20-3) has had to deal with his share of bad luck in terms of injuries, dealing with one setback after another. Now that he’s healthy and ready to return, he’s eager to step back into the Octagon.
“I love it to be honest. I’m so happy to be back. There were times when I might have been an idiot, but there were times when I didn’t think it would happen. Every time I get back to training there’s a little setback,” he said.
“Surgeons are passing me around, but everything went well. I’m here, touching wood and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love. Doing what I’ve worked for since I was 12 years old. This is my dream.”
He takes on Silva, who is not only known for his chaotic fighting style, but also for the antics he uses to get into an opponent’s head. Allen knows to expect it, but after meeting Silva outside the league, he admits he’s a fan.
“I’ll be honest, I think he’s a nice guy, he’s a nice guy. We had a hug and a handshake. I hugged his wife, yeah, nice guy. I know he does a lot of gamesmanship and stuff, but he’s a top guy,” he said.
Watch the entire media day scrum with Arnold Allen above. He faces Jean Silva on Saturday night at UFC 324.
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