‘Different vibe’ – UFC contender Arnold Allen explains what it is really like to fight at the Meta Apex

Arnold Allen has compared fighting at the Meta Apex to training in the gym ahead of his UFC return.

The Englishman faces fellow featherweight contender Melquizael Costa in the main event of UFC Vegas 117 this weekend.

Getty

It takes place at the UFC‘s renowned Apex venue, adjacent to the promotion’s headquarters in Las Vegas.

The Apex was renamed to include the Meta brand after a bumper deal with Mark Zuckerberg‘s firm earlier this year.

Despite the $70million venue undergoing renovations to have more spectators due to UFC CEO Dana White‘s Zuffa Boxing hosting fights there, fans often criticise the Apex for its ‘soulless’ atmosphere.

Although Allen seems largely unfazed by the venue this weekend, having last fought at the Apex in a win over Calvin Kattar in October 2022, he has recognised the ‘different vibe’ he faces on fight night.

After all, Allen’s last fight – a points defeat to Jean Silva at UFC 324 – was attended by 19,481 fans, while the Meta Apex’s newest expansion will result in a capacity of roughly just 1,100.

Allen explains ‘different vibe’ of Apex

“It’s not the best,” Allen told talkSPORT.com ahead of his clash on Saturday night.

“Everyone wants to fight in an arena. You want to fight in a big arena. This is what we work hard for: to have those props.

“But at the end of the day, it’s got the big TV platform. Everyone’s watching the UFC.

“It doesn’t matter if the UFC is in a f****** shed, people are gonna be watching it.”

Speaking on the differences between fighting in front of a packed arena compared to the Apex, Allen continued: “It doesn’t really bother me, to be honest, either way.

Getty

Getty

“It’s just the walk out. When you’ve got a walkout in front of a big crowd, it hypes you up a little bit more.

“You walk out at the Apex, and there are about six people there. So they’re a bit of a different vibe.

“It’s like being in the gym.”

Despite a loss last time out, Allen can cement himself once again as a UFC featherweight title contender if he comes out victorious against Brazil’s Costa.

‘Almighty’ embarked on a ten-fight winning streak at the start of his UFC journey, before suffering consecutive defeats to former champion Max Holloway and current No. 1 featherweight contender Movsar Evloev.

Evloev is likely to be the next man to challenge the current 145lbs champion Alexander Volkanovski, although Allen’s last opponent, Silva, is also in the picture.

Getty

“You can’t look in the future,” Allen responded when questioned on whether his bout with Costa can be viewed as a featherweight title eliminator.

“UFC change their minds as well with things. I thought Calvin was supposed to be an eliminator, then he blew his knee, so it didn’t count.”

On his path to victory against Costa, who became the first man to stop Dan Ige in his last appearance three months ago, moving to No. 12 at 145lbs, Allen concluded: “I could do everything.

“It’s not just boxing vs kicking. I’m a black belt, and I can wrestle.”

The Englishman’s fight occurs at the same time as Ronda Rousey‘s return to MMA on Netflix.

But Allen also told talkSPORT.com this week that he’s not worried in the slightest about the clash of cards.

UFC Schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.