Calvin Kattar won’t be making his UFC return until the end of the year.
That’s because “The Boston Finisher” is still going through concussion protocols in the wake of his lopsided decision loss to former featherweight champion Max Holloway, which took place on the promotion’s ABC card back in early January.
That’s according to teammate Rob Font.
“He’s in and out (of the gym),” Font told James Lynch (transcribed by Adam Martin). “He’s kind of still going through concussion protocols. He’s not concussed but they’re just babying him right now. So they’re having him do a lot of like little hand-eye coordination things, balance drills. Stuff like that — boring, non-contact type of stuff.”
Kattar (22-5), who turned 33 just last month, held steady at No. 6 in the 145-pound rankings despite the beating he took from Holloway. That said, the Bostonian is getting restless and looking to get back on his saddle sooner, rather than later.
“We’re trying to kick him out of the gym because he’s getting anxious,” Font continued. “He’s kind of getting to that point where he wants to start moving around more. It’s like a little baby, we’re just trying to baby him right now. Like, ‘Slow down, you’ve got a lot of big fights, a busy year, just take time off and just hang out.’ But it’s hard, especially coming off of a loss. You want to get back and you want to fix everything you thought you messed up, and right now we can’t. So it’s one of those things where I want him back in the gym, but he shouldn’t be in the gym, so we’re trying to think of ways to keep him active inside the gym.”
Holloway, meanwhile, remains unbooked while these two settle their score.