Calvin
Kattar appears to have settled in as a consistent Top 10
contender at 145 pounds.
“The Boston Finisher” will attempt to make further headway in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division when he
shoulders the
UFC on ESPN 37 marquee opposite
Josh Emmett
on June 18 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Kattar, 34, has
compiled a 7-3 record across 10 appearances since he joined the Las
Vegas-based company in 2017. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 32,
where he was awarded a five-round unanimous decision over
Giga
Chikadze in their Jan. 15 main event.
As Kattar moves ever closer to his showdown with Emmett, a look at
a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this
point:
Kattar capitalized on his opportunity as a short-notice replacement
for the injured
Doo Ho Choi
when he took a unanimous verdict from the
Team Alpha Male mainstay in their UFC 214 prelim on July 29,
2017 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. All three judges
scored it 30-27. Fili failed to build any meaningful momentum
across 15 minutes. Kattar operated behind a probing left jab and
routinely drilled the Californian with jarring right hands. The
CES MMA veteran also mixed in takedowns at opportune times and
consolidated them with effective ground-and-pound, his burst at the
end of the first round turning the tide in his favor. Fili answered
with kicks to the head and body but spent the majority of his time
throwing off the back foot and reaching with his punches, leaving
himself open to the counter. Kattar connected on nearly 50% of his
significant strikes in a successful organizational debut.
The Constrictor Team standout took a unanimous decision from Kattar
in their UFC 223 featherweight showcase on April 7, 2018 at the
Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Scores were 29-28, 30-27 and
30-27. Kattar had issues guarding his lower extremities. Carneiro
scorched his legs with inside and outside kicks, the Brazilian’s
efforts opening up other avenues for substantive offense. He worked
off of a steady jab, countered effectively and unleashed
multi-punch volleys with both hands. Carneiro found another gear in
the third round, where he staggered the Team Sityodtong product
with a straight right, snapped back his head with an uppercut and
flurried at various times. The loss marked the end of Kattar’s
career-best 10-fight winning streak.
The onetime Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder continued his
climb on the featherweight ladder when he laid claim to a unanimous
decision over Kattar in the UFC Fight Night 163 headliner on Nov.
9, 2019 at CSKA Arena in Moscow. Magomedsharipov carried all three
scorecards by 29-28 counts and improved to 6-0 inside the Octagon
while doing so. He zipped out to a strong start—Magomedsharipov
outstruck Kattar by wide margins in the first and second rounds—and
then held serve in Round 3, where he offset some of his
counterpart’s gains with a timely takedown and positional control.
He attacked Kattar’s legs, body and head with varying degrees of
success across the 15-minute encounter, doing more than enough to
curry necessary favor with the judges.
Kattar took a measured and tactical approach, stepped on the gas
when the situation called for it and outstruck the Hawaiian for the
better part of five rounds to record a unanimous decision in the
UFC on ESPN 13 main event on July 15, 2020 at the Flash Forum in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Scores were 49-46, 49-46 and
48-47. At a four-inch height and one-inch reach disadvantage, Ige
was largely outgunned on the feet but still managed to make his
presence felt. He appeared to break Kattar’s nose with a left hook
in the second round and focused his attention on the body and legs,
where more than half of his 84 significant strikes landed were
directed. However, his efforts fell short. Kattar responded by
spearing him with jabs, punching in combination and, perhaps most
importantly, denying all nine of his takedown attempts.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder
was about as close to perfect as one can get when he pistol whipped
Kattar for five rounds in an epic beatdown and captured a lopsided
unanimous decision in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner on Jan. 16, 2021
at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Scores were
50-43, 50-43 and 50-42. Kattar had no chance. Holloway overwhelmed
him with volume, variety and violence for five rounds, unleashing
every weapon in his arsenal with sadistic glee. It was undeniably
uncomfortable at times. Multi-punch bursts to the head and body
were followed by knees, kicks and elbows, one of which opened a
horrendous gash on Kattar’s scalp. The Methuen, Massachusetts,
native returned fire on occasion, only to be met with further
punishment. A lesser man might not have lasted one round with this
version of Holloway, much less five, and while Kattar managed to
survive to see the final bell, it was a moral victory that figures
to ring hollow for the proud New England Cartel member.