MMA Preview – Arnold Allen vs Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night 204
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ARNOLD ALLEN VS DAN HOOKER FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 204? Saturday 19th March, 2022 - 18:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 204? The O2 Arena, London, England
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 204? Click here for the tickets at the O2 Arena
What channel is UFC Fight Night 204 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 204? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
ARNOLD ALLEN VS DAN HOOKER LOWDOWN
Arnold Allen (17-1) has gone completely under the radar in the featherweight division which has not helped by only fighting twice since 2019. He has won all eight of his UFC fights and is on a 10-fight win streak. He has fought good fighters as well including Makwan Amirkhani (2017), Mads Burnell (2018), Gilbert Melendez (2019), Nik Lentz (2020) and Sodiq Yusuff (2021). He outpointed them all besides coming back to submit Burnell in the third round.
His streak and been rewarded by welcoming Dan Hooker (21-11) back down to the division. He has recently fought some of the best lightweights in the world with mixed success. After scraping past Paul Felder (2020) in a split decision he got outpointed by Dustin Poirier (2020) in an epic war and then he got sparked out by Michael Chandler (2021). He responded with a unanimous decision over Nasrat Haqparast (2021) after awful preparations and is coming off a mauling from Islam Makhachev (2021) who cinched up an effortless kimura in the first round.
ARNOLD ALLEN VS DAN HOOKER PREDICTION
Hooker’s drop down is surprising considering his struggles to make the 145 lb mark in the past although it is fair to say he has hit his ceiling in the lightweight division. If he makes weight comfortably, he should not be the underdog with a wealth of top-level experience and a significant five-inch reach advantage.
Hooker will have the edge on the feet with knockout power in all eight limbs. Allen is the better grappler and can put his power advantage to use by tying him up especially if Hooker is depleted. Flying from New Zealand to cut all that weight will be very tough and if he is drained and his chin is compromised, you have to back Allen.
Allen is extremely well-rounded and will be competitive everywhere. Hooker’s form at featherweight is patchy although, he has accumulated priceless experience at lightweight now. We are backing him to win especially as he got through a compromised camp in the Haqparast fight and there is a lot of value on him as the underdog, but it is hard to count out Allen.
Prediction: Hooker via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Hooker to win
