Mark Jacobs 
One-time featherweight king Max Holloway showed why he’s still a force to be reckoned with, Saturday, beating rising talent Arnold Allen by unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 44 in Kansas City, Mo. While Allen pressed forward for much of the bout, the former champion displayed all his tricks demonstrating a sophisticated striking game that managed to keep his opponent guessing, throughout.
The first two rounds looked close with Allen throwing the harder blows but Holloway throwing a bit more as he used some nimble footwork to avoid the Brit. Holloway picked it up in the third and fourth mixing good punching combinations with hard roundhouse kicks. He also made smart use of a low sidekick to check Allen’s momentum while trying to sneak in an occasional elbow or spinning kick.
Fighting southpaw, Allen came out strong to start the last round landing a hard right hook and pressing Holloway. But the veteran remained unfazed and by the end of the round was answering Allen with a blistering punch combination that scored a flash knockdown at the bell. The win keeps Holloway in the hunt for one more possible title shot while Allen suffers his first UFC loss.
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