Rivalries: Calvin Kattar

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:

Andre Fili

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.

Renato Carneiro

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.

Zabit Magomedsharipov

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.

Dan Ige

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.

Max Holloway

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.