Tag: Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar Explains Why He Hasn’t Tried To Replace Holloway At UFC 272

Calvin Kattar was one of the few featherweights who did not put his name in the hat to replace Max Holloway to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the belt.

Volkanovski was supposed to defend his belt in a trilogy match against Holloway at UFC 272 in M…

Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar was one of the few featherweights who did not put his name in the hat to replace Max Holloway to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the belt.

Volkanovski was supposed to defend his belt in a trilogy match against Holloway at UFC 272 in March. Unfortunately, the Hawaiian was forced out of the bout. After that, several featherweights like Giga Chikadze, Korean Zombie, Josh Emmett, and Yair Rodríguez all called for the fight.

For Kattar, however, he didn’t see a reason to call for the fight, especially when he has a scrap coming up.

“Yeah, man, talk is cheap,” Kattar said on BetQL Tapped Out. “I’m trying to go out next week and earn it…Him throwing his name in the hat, it’d be a shame if I went out and ruined his plans, you know?”

Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway
Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Kattar is set to headline UFC Vegas 46 this Saturday against Giga Chikadze in a battle of top-10 featherweights. The winner could very well be in title contention, and that is all Kattar is focused on, not trying to call out the champ for a bout in March.

“All I know is a W gets me that much closer,” Kattar said. “You only get closer off wins. And some of these guys calling for the title shot off losses, it doesn’t really make sense to me. Yeah, it happens every now and then, but go out and win some shit and then talk.”

Calvin Kattar is currently ranked fifth at featherweight and is coming off a beatdown loss to Max Holloway in January last year. The loss dropped him to 22-5 as a pro and he’s 6-3 in the UFC with wins over Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, Jeremy Stephens, Andre Fili, and Ricardo Lamas among others.

Do you think Calvin Kattar will beat Giga Chikadze in the main event of UFC Vegas 46?

Continue Reading Calvin Kattar Explains Why He Hasn’t Tried To Replace Holloway At UFC 272 at MMA News.

Calvin Kattar vs Giga Chikadze In Talks To Headline On January 15

Calvin KattarCalvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze are rumored to be headlining the first event of the new year in the featherweight division. The two featherweight contenders seem to be headlining the Jan.15 card and it has the makings of a barn-burner. The UFC is currently working to schedule the fight, but contracts have still yet to […]

Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze are rumored to be headlining the first event of the new year in the featherweight division.

The two featherweight contenders seem to be headlining the Jan.15 card and it has the makings of a barn-burner. The UFC is currently working to schedule the fight, but contracts have still yet to be signed according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Kattar (22-5) is coming off a devastating loss to the former featherweight champ Max Holloway. The fight earned the pair a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. Holloway looked phenomenal and put on one of the best boxing outings we’ve ever seen inside the Octagon that night. Kattar still had his moments in that fight, and also showed how big his heart and desire.

Kattar, over his last six fights, is 4-2 in the UFC. His only other loss being to Zabit Magomedsharipov by decision as well. He also had a really impressive win over Dan ’50k’ Ige, on another ‘Fight Night’ he headlined. If the UFC gets the contract signed, this will be Kattar’s fourth ‘Fight Night’ main event in five fights.

Chikadze (14-2) is coming in with a ton of hype to this fight if they get the contract signed. It would be Chikadze’s biggest test yet and could increase the likeliness of a future championship fight for him. He proved the hype was real when he finished Edson Barboza in the 3rd round of the ‘Fight Night’ he hosted. It pushed Chikadze’s record to a perfect 7-0 and propelled him up the featherweight rankings. The featherweight division continues to be one of the most exciting divisions in the entire sport, as they keep making fantastic fights in that loaded division.

Who do you think will win the fight between Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar?

Giga Chikadze vs Calvin Kattar In The Works For Jan. 15 Main Event

The UFC is looking to pair two of the finest strikers in the promotion to kick off the new year with a featherweight scrap between Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar. The January 15 Fight Night card will be the first event of the year, and MMA Junkie reports the main event is looking to be […]

Continue Reading Giga Chikadze vs Calvin Kattar In The Works For Jan. 15 Main Event at MMA News.

The UFC is looking to pair two of the finest strikers in the promotion to kick off the new year with a featherweight scrap between Giga Chikadze and Calvin Kattar.

The January 15 Fight Night card will be the first event of the year, and MMA Junkie reports the main event is looking to be Calvin Kattar (#5) facing Giga Chikadze (#8). Ironically, Calvin Kattar also main-evented the first UFC event of this year when he lost to Max Holloway via unanimous decision. Despite the loss, Kattar’s toughness was put on full display as he absorbed a record number of strikes from Holloway. With a full year to recover, Kattar will hope to use more offense and less toughness in his bout against another accomplished striker in Giga Chikadze.

Giga Chikadze has been calling for a fight against several individuals, with Calvin Kattar’s name being among them. Chikadze accused Kattar of “disappearing” after having agreed to a fight, but it now looks a though Kattar has every intention of showing up on January 15 and handing Chikadze his first UFC loss. Chikdadze currently has a UFC record of 7-0, most recently defeating Edson Barboza via second-round TKO.

Once finalized, the updated January 15 lineup will look like this:

Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze

Brian Kelleher vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov

Rogerio Bontorin vs. Kleydson Rodrigues

Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito

Court McGee vs. Ramiz Brahimaj

Kleydson Rodrigues vs. Zarrukh Adashev

Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

What is your prediction for this high-level banger to kick off 2022?

Continue Reading Giga Chikadze vs Calvin Kattar In The Works For Jan. 15 Main Event at MMA News.

Chikadze Claims Allen & Kattar Rejected Fight, Now Eyes Title Shot

UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze has reiterated his desire to fight for the 145-pound title, and revealed that both Arnold Allen and Calvin Kattar previously turned down matchups with him. Chikadze was last in action at UFC Vegas 35 in August. In what was his first main event in MMA’s leading promotion, “Ninja” continued his rapid […]

Continue Reading Chikadze Claims Allen & Kattar Rejected Fight, Now Eyes Title Shot at MMA News.

UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze has reiterated his desire to fight for the 145-pound title, and revealed that both Arnold Allen and Calvin Kattar previously turned down matchups with him.

Chikadze was last in action at UFC Vegas 35 in August. In what was his first main event in MMA’s leading promotion, “Ninja” continued his rapid rise with a third-round TKO victory over striking phenom Edson Barboza. The win saw the Georgian rise to #8 in the divisional rankings, and booked him a big name next time out.

Who that name will be remains to be seen. Chikadze repeatedly expressed his desire to fight either Max Holloway or Yair Rodriguez after their original clash in July was scrapped. However, that pairing remained intact. The former UFC Featherweight Champion will meet the Mexican in the Octagon on November 13.

The Georgian has also suggested he’s deserving of a title shot. Following his victory over Barboza, Chikadze said he’d be willing to wait for a championship opportunity, and even offered to serve as backup for last month’s UFC 266 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

Now, in an interview with The Schmo, the 33-year-old has once again called for a date with the champion. Given Volkanovski’s intention to remain active, Chikadze believes it makes sense for them to clash, especially seeing as the surging featherweight is always ready.

“Hopefully, November 13 or sooner something jumps out—or actually, fuck it. I want to get the title. What about the champ? He said that he wants to be busy. I want to congratulate first to him. It was incredible fight [vs. Ortega at UFC 266]. He showed a lot of heart. He can survive from any position. But I wanna see how he’s gonna do against me. If he wants to be busy, I’m the one. I’m always ready.”

With his position in the rankings, there are a number of contenders ahead of Chikadze. When asked if he’d spoken with Dana White about any other potential opponents, “Ninja” revealed that #6-ranked Englishman Arnold Allen turned him down twice prior to his latest victory. He also suggested that he’d be willing to fight “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. However, an injury has side-lined the 34-year-old until next year.

“No, nothing about [Arnold] Allen. I was asked way before twice, and both of the times, he turned me down. So this time, we had a much different conversation about higher-ranked opponents and about a title.

“Zombie, I like this fight, but he’s injured. So obviously, it’s not gonna happen this year.”

Chikadze was also asked about whether a fight against top-five featherweight Calvin Kattar could be on the table before the Georgian fights for the title. “Ninja” claimed that “The Boston Finisher” also turned down the chance to face him before his headline win against Barboza. That’s despite apparently accepting the fight, before later “disappearing.”

“Where is he? Where is he? I see he’s quiet. He’s been quiet. I don’t know. I wanted to fight him before Edson fight, I believe. He said he was gonna do it, but then he disappeared.”

Given that both Kattar and Allen apparently swerved Chikadze earlier in the year, it stands to reason they may feel differently about a matchup with the 33-year-old after his main event win and new top-10 ranking. That seems especially likely if Chikadze pushes for a title shot from below them on the featherweight ladder.

Who would you like to see Giga Chikadze face next? Do you think he’s done enough to earn a title shot?

Continue Reading Chikadze Claims Allen & Kattar Rejected Fight, Now Eyes Title Shot at MMA News.

Barboza Wants Kattar Next, Willing To Backup Holloway/Rodriguez

UFC featherweight Edson Barboza is on the hunt for his next opponent and has named Calvin Kattar as his top priority. The Brazilian is officially 2-1 in the 145-pound division, having moved down a weight class following back-to-back losses against ligh…

UFC featherweight Edson Barboza is on the hunt for his next opponent and has named Calvin Kattar as his top priority. The Brazilian is officially 2-1 in the 145-pound division, having moved down a weight class following back-to-back losses against lightweights Justin Gaethje and Paul Felder in 2019. Since a defeat against Dan Ige in […]

Continue Reading Barboza Wants Kattar Next, Willing To Backup Holloway/Rodriguez at MMA News.

Giga Chikadze Calls For Max Holloway Or Calvin Kattar Following Win Over Cub Swanson

ChikadzeGiga Chikadze is targeting the big names now. Chikadze earned the biggest win of his career after a liver kick earned him a first-round TKO win over featherweight veteran Cub Swanson in the UFC Vegas 25 co-headliner last night. It put the Georgian on a six-fight winning streak in the UFC and he feels he […]

Chikadze

Giga Chikadze is targeting the big names now.

Chikadze earned the biggest win of his career after a liver kick earned him a first-round TKO win over featherweight veteran Cub Swanson in the UFC Vegas 25 co-headliner last night.

It put the Georgian on a six-fight winning streak in the UFC and he feels he is now ready for the elite 145-pounders. That was evident when he called for fights with former champion Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar.

“I was in Georgia when Max fought Calvin,” Chikadze said at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Junkie). “I was doing commentary for the fight, and I enjoyed this fight, and every time he was doing something nice I was like, ‘I want to fight him. I want to fight him.’

“I feel like after this type of performance, I might get it – if not, then I might get (Kattar).”

In reality, it’s highly unlikely Chikadze gets either of them as he is still unranked while Swanson wasn’t a ranked opponent either. However, if he continues to keep winning and finish people like he’s done in his last two fights, it’ll only be a matter of time.

As for the liver kick he landed on Swanson? That’s something he’s become accustomed to for a while now.

“I’ve been in this moment many times with my kick,” Chikadze added. “My liver kick – my ‘Giga kick’ – this type of kick that you hurt somebody but they’re still not unconscious, they still feel everything and they can see it. It kind of blocks your body to do everything.

“I’ve been doing this in karate and kickboxing and I’ve had this type of experience every time. When I felt that, I realized I had already won the fight. I saw what the referee was doing and because he did’t stop me I continued just to make him think that it’s over.”

What do you think of Chikadze’s chances against the elite?