The former featherweight king is looking for a path back to the crown. Max Holloway will face Calvin Kattar in a pivotal featherweight bout in the main event of UFC Fight Night on 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 for boxing over several decades.
The winner of this fight could be next in line for a title opportunity. ESPN has Holloway ranked No. 2 and Kattar at No. 6 in the featherweight division.
Holloway (21-6) has dropped two in a row to current champion Alexander Volkanovski. Both bouts were very close 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 Hawai’i native has the most wins (16), the most KO/TKO wins (8) and the most stoppage victories (10) in UFC featherweight history.
Kattar (22-4) has won two in a row and four of his past five. The Massachusetts native has four finishes in six UFC wins. Kattar, 32, is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Dan Ige last July.
In the co-main event, two of the most exciting fighters in UFC welterweight history — Carlos Condit and Matt Brown — square off. Condit (31-13), a former UFC interim welterweight champion, snapped a five-fight losing streak in his most recent bout, a win over Court McGee. Brown (22-17) had a two-fight winning streak snapped in his latest bout against Miguel Baeza.
Also on the card, welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio returns after more than two years away because of illness to face Li Jingliang, and knockout artist Joaquin Buckley meets Alessio Di Chirico in a welterweight bout.
A strong card will get an extra boost of adrenaline as fans will be allowed in the Etihad Arena. The building can seat 18,000, but only 2,000 fans will be allowed in.
Unreal feeling to be firstly back in an arena and secondly seeing fans in the building! Amazing. Tune in and enjoy the fights. Time to work. pic.twitter.com/q1G5wvVRbC
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) January 16, 2021
Fight lineup:
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)
Middleweight: 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) vs. Joselyne Edwards (9-2, 0-0 UFC, -105)
Heavyweight: Carlos Felipe (9-1, 1-1 UFC, -200) vs. Justin Tafa (4-1, 1-1 UFC, +170)
Welterweight: David Zawada (17-5, 1-2 UFC, +220) vs. Ramazan Emeev (19-4, 4-1 UFC, -270)
Women’s bantamweight: Sarah Moras (6-7, 3-5 UFC, -230) vs. Vanessa Melo (10-8, 0-3 UFC, +190)
Men’s featherweight: Jacob Kilburn (8-3, 0-1 UFC, +190) vs. Austin Lingo (7-1, 0-1 UFC, -230)