Arnold Allen has admitted there was no disputing his loss to Max Holloway at UFC Kansas City as he had anticipated the outcome before the decision was announced. Although the British featherweight battled for 25 minutes, he expected the scorecards to go against him, citing himself as to blame.

On reflection, Allen now thinks he was closer to victory than he initially thought, but he still feels Holloway was the deserving winner of the fight. Despite becoming one of the first fighters to take the former featherweight king to a close decision, Allen does not feel he deserves much credit just because he almost won.

Although he appreciates the positive comments from supporters, he was not satisfied with himself upon leaving the octagon, stating he was not interested in a participation trophy for lasting five rounds in the cage with Holloway because ultimately the result still went against him.

Dana White admonished Allen’s coaches for not instilling him with greater urgency in the later rounds, especially after he had his best performance during the final five minutes in the cage.

Allen admitted to mistakes in the final rounds, but does not believe the judges got it wrong, and believes the loss serves as an opportunity for him to prove he can do much better.