Arnold Allen reacts to controversial UFC 324 loss

Highest of highs, lowest of lows.

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight contender Arnold Allen came up short against fast-rising prospect Jean Silva on the UFC 324 main card last weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It was an entertaining, back-and-forth fight that likely would’ve earned “Fight of the Night” honors on most cards — if not for the main event delivering an all-out war. Still, the bout will be remembered most for Silva’s viral moment: hopping off Allen’s back with just 10 seconds remaining.

And yes, the memes followed immediately.

“Obviously, I got surfboarded, that sucks,” Allen said on his YouTube channel. “I appreciate everyone sending it to me like I haven’t seen it a million times. Thank you very much. I mean, it is quite funny. People say it’s disrespectful — and it is — I wouldn’t do it, but I’m not offended. It’s funny. It’s annoying that my f—king friends keep sending it to me. Yes, I’ve seen it. Yes, I’ve seen the f—king A.I. video.”

While Silva earned the unanimous decision by stealing the third round, Allen believes he did enough to take the first two frames.

“I thought I did enough in the first,” Allen explained. “People said I got tired — I didn’t feel tired. I thought I was up two rounds, but he made adjustments and got more aggressive. He came out in the third like he was down two rounds, chasing the finish. I tried to weather that. I started teeping him in the belly and he started screaming, so I knew they were working.”

Allen also took issue with what he perceived as biased commentary during the fight.

“The commentary team, man, I don’t know,” Allen said. “You hear rumors about agendas, and then you watch it. Every time a shot lands on my elbow or arm, it’s ‘Oh my God!’ But I land a clean left hand down the middle that staggers him and it’s just, ‘Nice shot by Allen.’ Then they talk about his power. How do you not know how hard I hit?”

“If Joe Rogan wants to spar with us before the fights, maybe they’ll know how hard I hit,” he added.

Despite losing three of his last four bouts, Allen remains confident he belongs among the Featherweight elite and plans to stay active in 2026.

“I’m not f—king disheartened at all,” Allen said. “I know I’m at the top. I lost to Movsar, Max — and this guy — and I sit there thinking I won two of them. That’s the game. Close fights don’t always go your way. I don’t know who’s next, but I feel good, and I want to be active.”

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