The ‘Dalmatian’ Lunges for an ‘Almighty’ Featherweight Victory
Las Vegas stands as the city that is famed for its unique tourist attractions and the lure of winning it all! However, the common man may seek other entertainment, as he can go to Meta APEX to see a fight between two Featherweight fighters who aim to move up in the Men's Featherweight Division. As a result, this fight is predicted to last all scheduled rounds, as these two contenders further make the case that a Men's Featherweight Division fight should headline the next numbered UFC event, such as UFC Freedom 250. These two contenders are Arnold Allen, who goes by the nickname 'Almighty'. Will he be almighty enough to take on 'The Dalmation' is the real question. His opponent's nickname is almost spot-on given his past victories, but his real name is Melquizael Costa.
These past victories of Costa have come with numerous submissions and show he has a strong preference for taking his opponents down. The 29-year-old has the chance to be a beast in this fight, but time will tell if the 32-year-old presents an opening for him to exploit. In other areas, 'The Dalmation' absorbs fewer strikes than his opponent, making him harder to hit on average. However, he could even gauge distance by using his increased reach to create space during the rounds. The Brazilian may have to, as it has been shown that he lands more strikes per round than Allen.
Allen will look to capitalize on any room given to him during this fight to avoid any unnecessary strikes that could throw off his score by the end of the fight. The Ipswich native does carry a better defense in both the standing and ground game than his opponent, too. If Costa decides that he goes for the ground, he'll have to make sure it doesn't cost him too much of any lead he sets for most strikes per round. It's more likely the five-foot-nine martial artist will keep this fight standing because he has more knockouts than submission victories in his fight career. He would rather do this than risk any ground maneuver, especially since his last five fights were almost all unanimous decision wins.
The current stats, when considered, point to 'Almighty' as the victor of this fight. He is in danger in other ways, but it would seem these are balanced out when considering his past performances and ability to remain standing during an onslaught of strikes. The British martial artist could slip up or be spot-on in anticipating his opponent's takedown attempts. That area or ground game of the fighting will be one to watch as it's likely 'The Dalmation' will want to close the distance and prevent any strikes from making any significant impact. If he doesn't, it's almost certain Costa will have to take a loss.
Although when all stats are considered, it's more likely that Allen will lose to the lower-ranked opponent. This is because he will not be able to keep up with the number of strikes landed during the fight. He can try to avoid his opponent's strikes, but with Costa's extended reach, that will be hard to do. In short, the five-foot-ten Brazilian will have to stay away from takedowns while 'Almighty' will have to leave a defensive posture to walk away with a spotless win. Finally, the exciting conclusion to this matchup will be available to stream on Paramount+ at 8:00 p.m. EST!
