“For the last five years, I’ve been on the doorstep, but injuries, inconsistency, a bit of bad luck, all these things — none of that is in my control,” began Allen, who owns wins over Gilbert Melendez, Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Hooker, and Calvin Kattar. “I’ve learned to do what I can do and control what I can control, and that’s train hard, get back, and try and win fights.
“For the last year, I lost my mind trying to focus on the things I can do,” continued the affable Brit, who trains at Montreal’s Tristar Gym. “My life is very career-driven, and I love my career — I want to give it that push and achieve my goals — so I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit I was pissed off in that sense, and I’d also be a liar if I didn’t say it trickles into my personal life sometimes.
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“When I’m in camp and full focus, it’s easier, because you’re on task; you’re on the train, and you’re moving. When you’re on the sidelines and injured, that sucks. I dealt with a little bit of depression because (in those moments), you can’t control anything. You watch the division, watch the guys; even the controllables don’t matter at that point.
“But we’re all good,” he added with a smile. “I’m in a good place, excited to perform, and excited to remind everyone who I am and what I do.”
What’s interesting is that while the division has undergone some shifts in the time since Allen last competed, he’s still in a comparable position to where he was when he fought Chikadze and can thrust himself into the thick of the chase with a victory on the weekend.
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