UFC President Dana White believes former featherweight champion Max Holloway was the victim of “bad judging” in the Hawaiian’s rematch against Alexander Volkanovski, which may have “Blessed” focusing on a potential trilogy against his “Great” rival.
That would be a mistake, according to Calvin Kattar.
“The Boston Finisher” headlines the UFC Fight Island 7 main event against Holloway when the promotion returns to “Fight Island” on Jan. 16 in Abu Dhabi, a five-round showdown that could push Kattar atop the very short list of 145-pound title contenders.
“It’s a good opportunity to show that I’m that guy,” Kattar told MMA Fighting. “There’s these guys out there touting Max like he’s still the champ, and I think he may even be still focused on the champ. But to overlook me would be a mistake.”
Kattar (22-4), who sits just outside the Top 5 at No. 6, is looking to extend his winning streak to three after taking consecutive victories over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige. The 32 year-old “Boston Finisher” has now won four of his last five.
This will be the first non-title fight for Holloway (21-6) since capturing the featherweight strap against Jose Aldo back in summer 2017. A victory keeps his title hopes alive while a loss could send him to the back of the line, or into a fight against the loser of this matchup.
To see who else is fighting at UFC Fight Island 7 click here.