Shane Burgos thinks Calvin Kattar could pull off the upset against Max Holloway at UFC Fight Island 7.
It would be rude of Shane Burgos not to pick Calvin Kattar to beat Max Holloway in the UFC Fight Island 7 headliner later this month.
Calvin Kattar notably handed Burgos his first professional loss by way of TKO back in Jan. 2018, so it only makes sense that ‘Hurricane’ is picking ‘The Boston Finisher’ to pull off the upset against ‘Blessed’ on January 16.
“I’ve been a fan of Max for a while before I was in the UFC,” Kattar told SCMP MMA in a recent interview (h/t Abhinav Kini of The Body Lock). “When he was a young kid coming up, he was around the same age as me. He got a similar build to me so it reminded me of myself a little bit.
“But Kattar obviously is the first person to ever beat me so I have to root for him. That’s just how it goes. I’m rooting for that guy until we fight again. He’s a good guy, too, so I’m definitely rooting for him.”
Speaking of the matchup itself, Burgos believes it’s going to be an interesting clash of styles but is confident Kattar’s power will be enough to overcome Holloway’s sheer volume.
“I do think he [Kattar] has the power advantage,” Burgos said. “Max does a little bit more volume, he’s more volume on the feet. So it is a style clash because they’re both standup guys, they’re both kind of like boxers who use their hands a lot.
“Max has more volume, Kattar has more power so I guess it’s going to be a battle of that. Who am I leaning towards? I’m leaning towards Kattar though. By decision. I think Max has a granite chin, I’ll give him that.”
UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar takes place on Jan. 16 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.