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Jean Silva jumps wildly off Arnold Allen's back during UFC 324 in Las Vegas

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp01/25/26

In the first fight of the main card for UFC 324, fans got to see something exceptionally unusual. It came right at the very end of a three-round fight between Jean Silva and Arnold Allen.

Silva, who had gotten the better of most of the fight, seemed confident he had the win locked up. He threw a vicious sequence of blows toward the end, knocking Allen off his feet.

Then he did the rather unthinkable. He stood on Allen’s back and casually jumped off in celebration, as time continued to tick down on the final round. Check it out below.

For what it’s worth, Allen didn’t seem particularly bothered by the unconventional move. It’s possible he was confused or didn’t even register what had happened.

Immediately after the fight, which was awarded to Jean Silva by a unanimous decision, Silva began tearing up. He was quite emotional.

“We prepare as a team to literally to be here for a three-round fight, a three-round war,” Silva said through a translator. “I wanted to knock him out so badly, and my team kept saying, ‘Wait, wait for it, wait for the moment.’ Listen, it was very important for me. I know I wanted the knockout, but I really wanted to be here throughout the whole thing because I love this thing. I love being here.”

The fight was significant enough for Jean Silva that he even apologized to Allen after the fight. Broadcaster Joe Rogan asked him why he apologized after the fight, and the response indicated how big a deal the win was for Silva.

“Listen, when I started in this he was already here,” Jean Silva said. “He had been here, and I’ve always told people, I don’t tell this a lot, but it’s very hard to find someone who’s an idol of yours and somebody you admire. It was hard for me to fight him and to be throughout this whole thing, but I really admire the guy.”

UFC 324 Fight Canceled

Before Jean Silva and Arnold Allen squared off on Saturday evening, the card got a little lighter early on in the afternoon. A lightweight bout was cleared from the docket.

The fight was between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson. UFC did not provide immediate information about the reason for the cancellation, but reports swirled of irregular betting activity leading up to the card.

MMA reporter Rueben Carter noted that Hernandez was injured in the lead-up to the fight and someone in his camp leaked that info to a bettor on Instagram, which caused suspicious betting activity. UFC then pulled the fight, reportedly.

In any case, Saturday’s action was still set to be a major positive for Paramount+. The streaming giant inked a deal with TKO Group back in August, granting it rights to 13 marquee UFC numbered events and 30 “Fight Nights” on its streaming platform, Paramount+ — with select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS — starting in 2026.