UFC Vegas 23: Sodiq Yusuff vs Arnold Allen Picks, Odds, and Predictions

Arnold Allen and Sodiq Yusuff fight Saturday in UFC Vegas 23 at the UFC APEX.

Arnold Allen enters this fight with a 16-1 record and has won 44 percent of his fights by decision. Allen has won each of his last nine fights and is coming off a January (2020) win over Nik Lentz. Allen is averaging 3.19 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 41 percent. Allen is averaging 1.36 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 52 percent. Allen is coming off a decision win at UFC on ESPN+ 24 where he landed 68 total strikes and 48 percent of his significant strikes. Allen is now 7-0 under the UFC banner and each of his last three wins have come by decision. However, this is the longest Allen has been outside of the octagon since becoming a pro in 2012. Allen is a balanced fighter with a background in kickboxing and wrestling, and he’s a purple belt in BJJ. Allen has some underrated pop in his strikes and all four of his submission victories have come by different techniques. Allen hasn’t lost a fight since his 2014 bout against Marcin Wrzosek. This will be Allen’s second career fight in Las Vegas.

Sodiq Yusuff enters this fight with a 11-1 record and has won 55 percent of his fights by knockout. Yusuff has won each of his last six fights and is coming off a January (2020) win over Andre Fili. Yusuff is averaging 6.10 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 49 percent. Yusuff is averaging zero takedowns with an accuracy percentage of zero percent. Yusuff is coming off a decision win at UFC 246 where he landed 90 total strikes and 47 percent of his significant strikes. Yusuff is now 5-0 under the UFC banner and he’s won all five of his career decisions. Yusuff is a technically sound, accurate striker with one-punch knockout potential, and he has six career knockout victories. Yusuff has a background in boxing with just how clean his striking attempts are, the fact he always keeps his hands up and is constantly looking for an opening to attack. Yusuff mixes in his leg kicks well and has shown his toughness, as he’ll take a clean shot and keep moving forward. Yusuff is an impressive stand up striker, and at nearly 28 years old, he has a chance to really shake up the featherweight division. This will be Yusuff’s third career fight in Las Vegas.

You can make a case for either of these fighters and Yusuff probably has the edge because of his striking accuracy, the slightly longer reach and the fact he’s the bigger fighter with probably a power edge. However, Allen can hold his own on the feet and has a little more variety to his attack with his ability to mix in the leg kicks. Allen also would have the edge on the ground given his BJJ background and his solid takedown success.

Quality fight and somebody will lose on the UFC stage for the first time, but I’ll lean toward Allen here because of the plus money.