If there was any doubt before, it is surely erased now. Arnold Allen is a legitimate threat to the very best in the world at 145 pounds.

England’s Allen had already built an impressive eight-fight win streak prior to his bout at UFC London, but the one caveat to his superb run was the notable absence of a marquee name. That was emphatically addressed at the O2 Arena, when Allen took on, and finished, former lightweight contender Dan Hooker after a wild one-round slugfest.

The bout started out with Hooker stalking Allen around the octagon, looking to force the Englishman against the cage before teeing off with strikes. But Allen stayed wise to that tactic, and effectively circled away when the fence got a little too close.

Then, after some snappy range-finding shots from Hooker, Allen bit down on his mouthpiece, planted his feet and let fly in response. The results were spectacular.

Allen unloaded a vicious barrage of shots that stunned Hooker and forced the New Zealander to do something he rarely does in fights – back away from his opponent.

The door was open for a remarkable finish, and Allen burst through it with yet more punches as he tried to finish Hooker early. However, Hooker rallied and survived, and the bout briefly slowed as both men returned to distance and started to assess their next move.

It wasn’t long before Allen let fly with his fists again, though, and after stunning Hooker once more, this time the Suffolk native would not let the Kiwi off the hook as he hammered Hooker with another vicious barrage that forced referee Dan Movahedi to step in and wave off the fight at the 2:33 mark.

It meant that, in just over half a round, Allen had finished one of the most seasoned, durable lightweights on the planet, and in emphatic fashion.

And, after recapping his career-best performance with Michael Bisping inside the octagon, Allen turned his attention to his next mission.

“It’s gotta be top 5!” he said, before suggesting a possible matchup with Calvin Kattar as “a fight people would want to see.”

Whether it’s Kattar or another top-rated 145er, big things are around the corner for “Almighty.”

UFC London: Official Results

MAIN CARD

  • Tom Aspinall def. Alexander Volkov via submission (straight armbar) – Round 1, 3:44
  • Arnold Allen def. Dan Hooker via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:33
  • Paddy Pimblett def. Kazula Vargas via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:49
  • Gunnar Nelson def. Takashi Sato via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 3, 1:52
  • Ilia Topuria def. Jai Herbert via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:07

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Makwan Amirkhani def. Mike Grundy via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 0:57
  • Sergei Pavlovich def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:03
  • Paul Craig def. Nikita Krylov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:57
  • Jack Shore def. Timur Valiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
  • Elise Reed def. Cory McKenna via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Muhammad Mokaev def. Cody Durden via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:58