“I’m not there to go sit by the beach,” Allen said. “If I went somewhere nice, I’d probably be kayaking on the beach and just be sort of sitting there, chilling when I’m supposed to be training. When it’s minus-20 out, you’re going to the gym.”
The results speak for themselves, and yet, Allen doesn’t carry the same amount of buzz some of his fellow featherweight prospects might. His run of six straight UFC wins is only equaled in the division by champion Alexander Volkanovski and Zabit Magomedsharipov.
Allen believes his lack of exterior hype is due to his not having a penchant for talking. Although he admits he thinks he is overlooked, he doesn’t mind doing his work under the radar.
“I like being the dark horse in the division,” Allen said. “It’s nice.”
One way to create more buzz is to win fought frequently, and while Allen wants to get a few fights under his belt this year, he admitted he doesn’t necessarily intend to fight in London for the fourth time in the last five years. Rather, he just wants to relax back home and play with his Staffordshire bull terrier for the first time in six months.
The summer is a much more ideal timeframe for Allen, but don’t expect him to call out somebody should he win on January 25. Fresh off his 26th birthday, he said he isn’t in any sort of panicked scramble to get to the top of the division. Time can fly, though, and as Allen is acutely aware, so there’s always the potential that attitude changes.
“Maybe when I’m in a rush, I’ll start talking s***,” Allen said.