Arnold Allen Described a Tired Drive
Arnold Allen said he crashed his car during the final week of preparation for UFC 304 in July 2024. In an account reported on August 2, the featherweight described spinning into a motorway barrier while driving home tired after sparring.
The schedule had changed his routine
Allen said he had been training late to adapt to the event’s early-morning local fighting hours. On the day of his final sparring session, his team’s other commitments required him to train earlier than planned.
He said he had slept too little and was rushing home to return to bed when he lost control. His car ended up facing oncoming traffic, an experience he described as frightening.
Allen said nobody was injured
According to Allen, no other vehicle was involved and nobody was hurt. His own car was damaged, but the incident did not prevent him from making the fight.
He linked the crash to fatigue and called his decision to drive in that state foolish. Those details were his public account of what happened, shared after the event through his YouTube channel.
A decision win followed in Manchester
Allen defeated Giga Chikadze by unanimous decision at Co-op Live on July 27. All three judges scored the featherweight contest 29–28 in his favor.
The victory ended a two-fight losing run after Allen had won his first ten UFC appearances. His post-event account added an unexpected preparation story to the successful Manchester return, while also explaining why he hoped the unusual local schedule would not become standard for future English cards.
Sources
- MMA Fighting / Allen’s YouTube: crash account and schedule explanation
- UFC: Chikadze decision and preceding promotional run
