Author: Dan Hiergesell

Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway looked better than ever earlier today (Sat., Jan. 16, 2021) at UFC Fight Island 7 live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., when “Blessed” destroyed rising contender Calvin Kattar over the course of five bloody rounds.

Holloway won the early exchanges with volume and speed as the former champion hit Kattar to the head and body with relative ease. Kattar kept his feet moving and responded with some good counter shots of his own, but “Blessed” was too consistent and precise.

In Round 2, Holloway kept digging to the body and landed two clean shots every time Kattar got too close. Kattar was able to score some power punches when he threw first, but “Blessed” didn’t allow much of that. Holloway kept closing the gap and getting inside to bash Kattar with hooks, uppercuts, and more body shots. He then landed an elbow out of nowhere that buckled Kattar and nearly ended the fight. Holloway followed up with a head kick but Kattar still survived.

It was much of the same in the third round as Holloway kept his punches straight and snapped Kattar’s head back at every turn. Kattar found a home for his patented uppercut but it didn’t seem to faze “Blessed” too much. Holloway turned it up a gear in the fourth and trapped Kattar along the cage, That’s when Holloway demolished Kattar with ridiculous elbows over the top and countless hooks to the body. Kattar was bloodied, wobbled, and out of sorts, but he never went down.

Holloway didn’t let up in the fifth when a barrage of punches put Kattar on wobbly legs yet again. The Boston native stood strong but didn’t have much to offer in the form of offense. Kattar’s corner could have thrown in the towel, but they didn’t. Holloway cruised for the final few minutes and ended up with the easy unanimous decision win on the heels of 455 significant strikes landed (a new UFC record).

Check out the full fight highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

For more UFC Fight Island 7 results and coverage click here.

As soon as UFC Fight Island 7 wraps up later today (Sat., Jan. 16, 2021) live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., fight fans can check out the live post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners.

On a night that features a featherweight main event pitting former UFC champion Max Holloway against rising contender Calvin Kattar, a co-headliner showcasing welterweight veterans Carlos Condit and Matt Brown, the long-awaited return of Argentinian knockout artist Santiago Ponzinibbio, and another Octagon appearance by 2020 knockout sensation Joaquin Buckley, there will be much to talk about when the action winds down.

The post-fight presser is scheduled to go live at 6:15 p.m. ET, and feature the biggest winners and losers from the card.

For more UFC Fight Island 7 results and coverage click here.

Santiago Ponzinibbio saw his long-awaited Octagon return spoiled at the hands of Li Jingliang earlier today (Sat., Jan. 16, 2021) at UFC Fight Island 7 live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., as “Leech” steamrolled the Argentinian fighter via first-round knockout (punch).

Ponzinibbio was making his first UFC appearance since November of 2018 so cage rust was to be expected. Unfortunately for the welterweight contender, Jingliang wasted little time pushing the pace and throwing offense. He ended up catching Ponzinibbio with a beautiful left hook towards the end of the first round that sent “Gente Boa” crashing to the canvas.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

With this performance, Jingliang gets back into the welterweight win column after losing a decision to Neil Magny last March. This is a massive victory for “Leech” as he now pushes his UFC welterweight record to 10-4, finishing seven of those bouts via knockout.

For more UFC Fight Island 7 results and coverage click here.

Surging knockout artist Joaquin Buckley got a taste of his own medicine earlier today (Sat., Jan. 16, 2021) at UFC Fight Island 7 live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., when the talented middleweight fell victim to veteran Alessio Di Chirico via first-round knockout (head kick and punches).

Buckley came into this main card affair with two monstrous UFC knockouts to his name, but that didn’t seem to bother Di Chirico. The Italian fighter willingly engaged with Buckley and looked to have the advantage with his reach and size. Buckley was still dangerous, but Di Chirico was able to perfectly time a head kick as “New Mansa” changed levels and that was all she wrote. Buckley fell to the canvas and Di Chirico landed a few insurance shots for good measure.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

With this performance, Di Chirico snaps his three-fight losing streak at 185 pounds and locks down the biggest win of his MMA career, especially considering he knocked out “the guy” on ABC. Look for UFC to ride Di Chirico’s hot hand and get him back in the cage in short time.

For more UFC Fight Island 7 results and coverage click here.

Punahele Soriano gave fight fans their first finish of the new year earlier today (Sat., Jan. 16, 2021) at UFC Fight Island 7 live on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., when the Hawaiian powerhouse demolished Dusko Todorovic via first-round TKO (punches).

Todorovic looked like the more technical fighter in the early going as Soriano began to load up and wing his punches. It didn’t take long for Soriano to find a home for his power shots, though, and he dropped Todorovic to the canvas. The middleweight was able to return to his feet but “Story Time” kept pressing forward and eventually scored another knockdown for the finish along the cage.

Check out the highlights above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

With this performance, Soriano scores his second-straight knockout finish after making a successful UFC debut against Oskar Piechota all the way back at UFC 245. Despite a year off the Hawaiian middleweight looked tremendous earlier today on broadcast television and is easily one of the best prospects to keep an eye on heading into 2021.

For more UFC Fight Island 7 results and coverage click here.

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is willing to stick around after all, per an announcement by UFC president Dana White during the ABC broadcast of UFC Fight Island 7 (results HERE).

Khabib, who retired from the sport back in October following the death of his father and eventual submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, confirmed to White during a Friday meeting that he will be willing to return to fighting if next weekend’s UFC 257 PPV card produces something special.

White, who has been aggressively recruiting “Eagle” to fly one more time and try to push his perfect record to 30-0, said the Russian fighter is open to fighting any of the four lightweight fighters competing at UFC 257, which includes Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Dan Hooker.

White added that Nurmagomedov was also impressed with the way Charles Oliveira looked against Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 and would be interested in that fight as well.

“His words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, and keep the belt away from anybody else. If these guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight,’” White said. “So I have the feeling if somebody delivers, it could be on the co-main event or the main event, and he thought Oliveira looked good (vs. Tony Ferguson). … If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

McGregor, who will be making his first Octagon appearance in over a year next weekend, was hoping to score an eventual rematch against Khabib following their record-breaking meeting at UFC 229 back in 2018. Khabib has been reluctant in entertaining a potential rematch with “Notorious,” but McGregor was hoping a win at UFC 257 would change the Russian’s mind.

UFC 257 takes place on Jan. 23 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, with McGregor vs. Poirier 2 serving as the main event. A lightweight clash between Hooker and former Bellator MMA champion Chandler will be the co-headliner.

What do you think, fight fans? Will Khabib eventually return? Who will he end up fighting?

Let us know in the comments!