The ex-feathered king is looking for a way back to the crown. Max Holloway will face Calvin Kattar in a featherweight fight in the UFC Fight Night main event this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the first UFC show of the year and the main card will air on ABC, the home of boxing for several decades.
The winner of this fight may be next in line for a title opportunity. ESPN placed Holloway in 2nd place and Kattar in 6th place in the featherweight division.
Holloway (21-6) lost two consecutive defeats to defending champion Alexander Volkanovski. Both fights were hotly contested and many thought Holloway won the second at UFC 251 in July. Holloway, 29, is the most decorated featherweight in UFC history. He held a 145 pound title in the UFC from 2016 to 2019. The Hawaiian has the highest number of wins (16), the highest number of wins by KO / TKO (8) and the highest number of stoppage wins (10) in history of UFC feathers.
Kattar (22-4) has won two in a row and four out of the last five. The Massachusetts native has four submissions in six UFC victories. Kattar, 32, comes from a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige last July.
In the main co-fight, two of the most exciting fighters in UFC welterweight history – Carlos Condit and Matt Brown – face off. Condit (31-13), a former interim UFC welterweight champion, had a streak of five straight losses in his most recent fight, a win over Court McGee. Brown (22-17) had a two-game winning streak in his last fight against Miguel Baeza.
Also on the card, welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio returns after more than two years away due to illness to face Li Jingliang, and knockout man Joaquin Buckley faces Alessio Di Chirico in a welterweight fight.
A strong card will bring an extra boost of adrenaline, as fans will be allowed into the Etihad Arena. The building can accommodate 18,000 people, but only 2,000 fans will be allowed to enter.
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Fight in progress:
Heavyweight: Carlos Felipe (9-1, 1-1 UFC, -200) vs. Justin Tafa (4-1, 1-1 UFC, +170)
Results:
Welterweight: Ramazan Emeev (20-4, 5-1 UFC) defeats David Zawada (17-6, 1-3 UFC) via split decision
Recap to come.
Women’s bantamweight: Vanessa Melo (11-8, 1-3 UFC) defeats Sarah Moras (6-8, 3-6 UFC) by unanimous decision
For three rounds, Melo chased forward throwing energy punches. She ate a few jabs in the process, and not all the big hooks got it right, but enough for her to win the victory.
Melo defeated Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in the female bantamweight, the UFC’s first female fight in 2021.
The most significant strike came in the second round. Melo whipped a combination that culminated in a left hook with a shovel, hitting Moras in the nose. Moras’ mouthpiece fell after the punch and his nose ended up bloody. Moras had some success with his jab and kicking in the legs. But there was no doubt that Melo was throwing the strongest punches during the fight.
Melo, 32, had a streak of three consecutive defeats burst. The Brazilian won her first victory in the UFC. Moras, a 32-year-old Canadian, has now lost two in a row and five of her last six.
– Raimondi
Watch this fight on ESPN +.
Men’s featherweight: Austin Lingo (8-1, 1-1 UFC) defeats Jacob Kilburn (8-4, 0-2 UFC) via unanimous decision
Lingo has not fought since his first defeat last February. But he didn’t take long to get back on track, dropping Kilburn in the first 30 seconds. But his work was not yet finished.
After Kilburn got back on his feet, Lingo started hitting him with sharp jabs, left hooks and more right hands in his way to ensure he waved at all three markers.
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Two judges scored the match 30-26 and another 30-27.
Kilburn, in his first fight since 2019, did not make things easy, despite the asymmetric scorecards. The 25-year-old from Clarksville, Tennessee, attempted a takedown after the takedown, and as the fight progressed, he appeared to be the most refreshed competitor. But he failed to escape Lingo’s blows and suffered his second defeat in a row.
Lingo, 26 and fighting in Dallas, has not competed since losing by unanimous decision last February to Youssef Zalal.
– Wagenheim
Watch this fight without ESPN +.
Yet to come:
Men’s featherweight: Max Holloway (21-6, 17-6 UFC, -160) vs. Calvin Kattar (22-4, 6-2 UFC, +135)
Welterweight: Carlos Condit (31-13, 8-9 UFC, -170) vs. Matt Brown (24-17, 15-11 UFC, +145)
Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-3, 9-2 UFC, -310) vs. Li Jingliang (17-6, 9-4 UFC, +250)
Middleweight: Joaquin Buckley (12-3, 2-1 UFC, -300) vs. Alessio Di Chirico (12-5, 3-5 UFC, +240)
Average weight: Punahele Soriano (7-0, 1-0 UFC, +135) vs. Dusko Todorovic (10-0, 1-0 UFC, -160)
Women’s bantamweight: Wu Yanan (11-3, 1-2 UFC, -115) against Joselyne Edwards (9-2, 0-0 UFC, -105)