What’s next for Arnold Allen and Calvin Kattar after UFC Vegas 63?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 63, a battle of top-10 featherweights went down as Arnold Allen looked to remain undefeated in the UFC as he took on Calvin Kattar.

Allen entered the fight coming off the biggest win of his career as he scored a first-round TKO win over Dan Hooker back at UFC London in March. Prior to that, he picked up notable wins over Sodiq Yusuff, Nik Lentz, Gilbert Melendez, and Mads Burnell among others. Meanwhile, Kattar was coming off a controversial split decision loss to Josh Emmett while before that, he beat Giga Chikadze after losing to Max Holloway.

In the end, it was Allen winning by second-round TKO due to a knee injury as at the end of the first round, it appeared Kattar blew out his knee. Now, after the fight, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the UFC Vegas 63 main event.

Arnold Allen

Arnold Allen has been flying under-the-radar for years – in large part due to the fact he hasn’t been fighting consistently due to injuries. He was finally set for his first UFC main event and unfortunately, it ended due to an injury that puts him in a weird spot.

Allen was having success early but there was no definitive win for him. After the victory, he called for an interim title shot. It will come down to him, Josh Emmett, and Yair Rodriguez as who fights for the interim belt. All three have a case to be made but I expect Allen and Emmett to fight sometime in the first quarter of 2023 for the interim strap.

Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar will now be on the sidelines for about a year and when he returns, the featherweight division will likely be much different. The Massachettues native has headlined five straight fights and six of his last seven but when he returns a three-round fight makes sense.

Although the division could look much different when Kattar returns, a fight that makes sense is taking on someone like Sodiq Yusuff. The Nigerian fighter is one of the top prospects in the division and if he wins a fight or two, he could be the one to welcome back Kattar with the winner getting a top-five opponent.

What do you think should be next for Arnold Allen and Calvin Kattar after UFC Vegas 63?