UFC London: Beating Dan Hooker would be first 'big name' win of my career - Arnold Allen

When Arnold Allen is missing inspiration, he doesn't have to look very far to find it.

The 28-year-old from Ipswich, who faces Dan Hooker at UFC London on Saturday, glances to his left where his dad has accompanied him to the interview.

Allen's father Pacer is a former top-10 British strongman and Allen Jr is named Arnold after bodybuilding pioneer Arnold Schwarzenegger.

«It's hard to say it when he's sat right there, but he's a massive influence,» Allen told BBC Sport.

«He carried a big work ethic when I was younger and watching him pursue what he wanted to do, while raising me and my brother and looking after mum, while working out and seeing the jobs he was doing — seeing all that when all I have to do is train and fight — that's easy.

»If ever I'm feeling lazy or anything I think 'well, he'd go and do this, that and then lift weights at 3am in the morning to prepare for a competition'."

Pacer himself had a short two-fight stint in MMA alongside his bodybuilding career, winning one professional fight and losing the other.

He attends all of Allen's fight to provide moral support, but doesn't have a big role in his training.

Pacer says he is glad Allen, who is ranked seventh in the featherweight rankings, has far surpassed his own accomplishments in the sport, but is more impressed by his personality outside the octagon.

«He's doing my journey for me now, but I'm more proud of him for being a decent guy in all honesty,» said Pacer.

«The fight career is brilliant but you can't ask anymore than for someone to say 'he's a decent guy, humble and respectful'.

»We get a lot of stick because we don't trash talk anyone, but we don't need to."

Allen takes a different approach to many other fighters on the roster in that he doesn't engage