Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports


A featherweight showdown pitting ex-champ Max Holloway against Arnold Allen
is in the works to headline a UFC Fight Night event on April 15.

Promotion broadcast partner ESPN was first to report the booking. The UFC Fight Night card does not yet have an official location or venue. The card is also expected to include a featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Billy Quarantillo and a bantamweight tilt between Chris Gutierrez and Pedro Munhoz.

Holloway is coming off an unsuccessful bid to regain featherweight gold, as he dropped a five-round verdict to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276 this past July. The Hawaiian known as “Blessed” is now 0-3 against the reigning champion, which means his road back to the title will be difficult for as long as Volkanovski holds the belt. Prior to that defeat, Holloway secured back-to-back decision triumphs against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez in 2021.

Allen is undefeated in 10 UFC appearances and has lost just one of 20 professional outings overall. The 29-year-old Englishman passed his first headlining test at UFC Fight Night 213, when he defeated Calvin Kattar via technical knockout after his opponent suffered a knee injury eight seconds into Round 2. “Almighty” owns other notable wins against the likes of Dan Hooker, Sodiq Yusuff, Nik Lentz and Gilbert Melendez.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Mavericks advance to Western Conference Finals aided by controversial call late
Connor McDavid, Oilers hammer Canucks to force Game 7
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Seize the Grey wins in muddy Preakness
Even Mike Budenholzer admits the Suns need a point guard
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa lead at PGA Championship
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Panthers star named winner of 2024 Selke Trophy
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future