Arnold Allen withdraws from UFC 333 fight against Aaron Pico

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: Arnold Allen of England prepares to face Jean Silva of Brazil in a featherweight bout during the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Arnold Allen will not compete in Abu Dhabi. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Allen has been scratched from his scheduled matchup with Aaron Pico at UFC 333, which takes place Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena. The reason for Allen’s withdrawal wasn’t due to a new injury, but the U.K. fighter has been rehabbing from some past treatments, a source told MMA Fighting. While Allen is on the right track, there wasn’t enough time between now and the event for Allen to be ready to compete, but this was made known as a possibility when the matchup was initially discussed. The hope is for Allen to return before the end of the year. The 32-year-old is coming off of a decision win against Melquizael Costa in the main event of May’s UFC Vegas 117. As for Pico, he’ll remain on the card to face Losene Keita. Pico earned his first UFC victory in his most recent contest with a decision win over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in April. MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin contributed to this report.

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UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi just lost a great main card fight. No. 6 ranked Arnold Allen was set to face No. 13 ranked Aaron Pico in a featherweight contender’s match on the upcoming U.A.E. card on October 24th. Unfortunately, Allen won’t be in good enough condition to compete on the date. According to MMA […]

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Aaron Pico now faces Losene Keita in Abu Dhabi