Tag: Calvin Kattar

Video: Can Aljamain Sterling thrive in the UFC featherweight division?

A former UFC bantamweight champion, will Aljamain Sterling find similar success a weight class higher? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s move to the featherweight division.

This Saturday, the former UFC bantamweight champion goes up to 145 pounds to take on veteran [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] on the preliminary card of UFC 300 in Las Vegas. It’s a big addition to the featherweight division, given Sterling’s status in the sport. But can he find success just like he did a weight class below?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Nolan King, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss Sterling’s decision to move up and his potential in this new division.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/fSjkR02NKpM

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Everything UFC 300 – Pereira vs. Hill, BMF title fight, Harrison’s debut, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses everything UFC 300.

Check out this week’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where we’ll be breaking down everything UFC 300.

This week’s panel will be composed of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia – along with appearances from Matt Wells, Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Dan Tom, and Nolan King.

For this Monday’s special episode, the panel discussed:

  • The pair of undisputed UFC championship fights headlining UFC 300. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] makes his first light heavyweight title defense against former champion  [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], who returns from injury. In the co-main event, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] takes on fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] in a women’s strawweight bout.
  • The first-ever Baddest Motherf*cker title defense, as BMF champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] welcomes back [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to the lightweight division. Other key lightweight bouts go down, including [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].
  • Highly-touted undefeated middleweight prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s return to action. He takes on Cody Brundage in the opening bout of the pay-per-view main card. This will be Nickal’s third fight under the UFC banner.
  • Two-time PFL champion and two-time Judo Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] makes her highly awaited UFC debut. She takes on former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] at bantamweight – a division Harrison will be debuting in. Harrison has previously fought at 155 and 145 pounds.
  • Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has moved up to featherweight. Veteran contender [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] welcomes him to the division.
  • To cap off the show, the panel will do a quick promo breakdown to hype up the four remaining bouts of the UFC 300 card. This includes [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Aljamain Sterling envisions early submission of Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, but won’t rush

Aljamain Sterling can picture taking out Calvin Kattar early.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] can picture taking out [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] early.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meets Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in his featherweight debut at UFC 300 on April 13 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The former bantamweight champion has been able to take down the majority of his opponents, but won’t be seeking that right away – not until he gets accustomed to his new weight class during the fight.

“I feel like it could be first or second round if it were to get to that position,” Sterling said on submitting Kattar on his YouTube channel. “But honestly, I’m not going to go hunting for a takedown right out of the gate. I kind of want to get my feet wet a little bit, kind of like how (Deiveson Figueiredo) did. Just feel the power, feel the pushback, and then kind of go from there.

“Just feel the fight – let the fight come to me and not rush it. Do what I normally used to do – take my time and just see what comes to me, vs. trying to push the action to go on vacation. Now I’m out of vacation mode. I’m ready to scrap. I’m ready to compete. I got a burnout break, so I just feel like I have a fresh lease on my career.”

Kattar has only been submitted once in what was just his fourth professional fight in 2008. Meanwhile, Sterling has eight submissions on his resume, most recently a first-round rear-naked choke of top contender Cory Sandhagen in June 2020.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 18-24)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 18-24.

Dana White announces first UFC 300 bookings with Prochazka-Rakic, Sterling-Kattar, Bo Nickal

The historic UFC 300 lineup has its first trio of fights as UFC CEO Dana White rolled out some matchups on Thursday.

The historic UFC 300 lineup has its first trio of fights as UFC CEO Dana White rolled out some matchups on Thursday.

After teasing a loaded lineup for the monumental April 13 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the opening slate of matchups features two former champions and one of the top undefeated prospects in the sport.

White took to social media and revealed former light heavyweight champ [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will take on [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), former bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) makes his featherweight debut vs. [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC), and rising middleweight star [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) clashes with [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

Prochazka, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie light heavyweight rankings, will attempt to rebound from his vacant title fight loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 295 in November, where he was stopped by second-round TKO. He’ll be charged with welcoming back No. 8-ranked Rakic, who hasn’t competed since he blew out his knee in an injury TKO loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC on ESPN 36 in May 2022.

Kattar, No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, will also try to rebound from a knee injury TKO loss against Arnold Allen in October 2022 when he welcomes No. 3-ranked bantamweight Sterling to a new division after he dropped the belt to Sean O’Malley by second-round TKO at UFC 292 in August.

Lastly, Nickal will try to add to his hype at 185-pounds following a 38-second knockout of Val Woodburn at UFC 290 in July when he meets Brundage, who is coming off a historic slam knockout at UFC on ESPN 52 this month.

The latest UFC 300 lineup now includes:

  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Cody Brundage vs. Bo Nickal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Aljamain Sterling thinks Calvin Kattar a likely opponent for featherweight debut, but calls out an ex-champ, too

Aljamain Sterling is honing in on a possible opponent for his 145-pound debut.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is honing in on a possible opponent for his 145-pound debut.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) plans on moving up to featherweight for his next fight after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292.

“The Funkmaster” is targeting the upper echelon of the division right off the bat. He sees [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who’s on the cusp of returning from knee surgery, as his likely next opponent for UFC 299 on March 9.

“Realistic scenario is probably myself and Calvin Kattar,” Sterling told MMA Junkie on the World MMA Awards red carpet. “He’s the only one that doesn’t have a fight and has been out for a bit, as well. At this point, come March, I’m probably going to be out for a bit as well. So with that said, I think that’s going to be the fight.”

But if it were up to Sterling, he’d fight former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), who currently doesn’t have a fight booked.

“The Max Holloway fight would be a nice one – two former champions going at it,” Sterling said. “Max doesn’t really have much to do right now unless he’s going up to ’55. That’s still speculation.

“But if he gets bored … Max, ‘the best is Blessed’ but, ‘Funky’ has got something to say about that, as well. If you do decide to hang around at ’45, it would be an absolute honor to share the octagon with you.”

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Calvin Kattar not focused on who’s next but ideally wants opponent that propels him up UFC rankings

Calvin Kattar is not one to pick opponents, but someone ranked above him would be ideal for his first UFC fight in more than a year.

LAS VEGAS – UFC featherweight [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] is not one to pick opponents, but someone ranked above him would be ideal for his next fight.

Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is hoping to return before the end of the year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, which he suffered in a TKO loss vs. Arnold Allen in October 2022. The 35-year-old Massachusetts native will look to rebound from a two-fight losing skid. His most recent win came in January 2022 when he snapped the winning streak of rising contender Giga Chikadze in dominant fashion.

“I don’t really focus on that,” Kattar told MMA Junkie Radio. “Just staying ready, being the best version of myself, and whoever we fight, we adapt. Keeps my job simple. I don’t really worry about the other stuff.”

Kattar already has fought the elite of the division, from former champion Max Holloway to former interim title challenger Josh Emmett to top contender Allen. If it was up to him, he’d like to continue fighting the upper echelon of the division.

“Ideally, what I would be most in favor of is fighting up and then trying to – anything that’ll get you closer to the title, things like that,” Kattar said. “I really don’t care. It’s just ideally, if we can fight up and something that’ll get you to the title faster, that’s what I would prefer. But other than that, it’s whoever.”

Although Kattar is on a bit of a skid, he’s using his recent unfortunate setbacks as fuel.

“I feel like I’m the best I’ve ever been,” Kattar said. “I feel like training is at a great point. Obviously setbacks happen on the way, but that only kind of hardwires me more. I think right now is the best version of myself.”

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Unfortunate circumstances: 14 unforeseen injuries that ended UFC main events

Nobody saw the endings to these UFC main events coming.

While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.

Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.

Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.

Calvin Kattar says 2023 return definitely a possibility, relishes ‘opportunity to make things right’

It appears Calvin Kattar is ahead of schedule for his return.

BOSTON – It appears [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] is ahead of schedule for his return.

Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) blew out his knee just eight seconds into Round 2 of his TKO loss to Arnold Allen last October. He was initially targeting a comeback for early 2024 after undergoing surgery.

Kattar recently sought out stem cell therapy through Bioxcellerator in Colombia, and sees the end of the year as a realistic possibility to book a fight.

“It’s definitely a possibility,” Kattar told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media scrum. “I’m feeling great. I’d say I’m able to train fully at this point, so just trying to train smart, ease back in, and just be ready for something hopefully by the end of the year. I feel like that’s a possibility for sure.”

Kattar has faced a string of bad luck lately. Prior to injuring his knee against Allen, he was on the wrong end of a split decision loss against Josh Emmett. His most recent win came in January 2022 when he snapped the winning streak of rising contender Giga Chikadze.

“It is a weird situation,” Kattar said. “(I’m) coming off 0-2, when really I feel like I’m 3-0. I feel like it’s a dangerous mindset for me to come back, and I always appreciate the mentality after a loss and the position I’m in with my back against the wall. I always perform at my best.

“I appreciate that opportunity, but definitely a little frustrating the way it works out – definitely pay wise. That sucks, but definitely got a lot to prove to myself more than anybody when I come back, that those two (losses) were some bullsh*t, and I have the opportunity to go make things right when I step back in there next.”

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Recovering Calvin Kattar has message for UFC featherweights: ‘They better not have forgotten about me’

UFC featherweight standout Calvin Kattar is no stranger to bouncing back, and that’s exactly what he plans to do again.

[autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] is no stranger to bouncing back, and that’s exactly what he plans to do again.

Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) blew out his knee just eight seconds into Round 2 of his TKO loss to Arnold Allen last October. He’s been on the mend ever since after undergoing surgery and is hoping to return by the end of the year.

“I pride myself in being mentally tough, but this one was challenging,” Kattar told Middle Easy. “It’s a long recovery, slow process, but I’m happy with progress no matter what, no matter how slow it is. So, it was incrementally getting better. One percent every day, you give me that, I’m a happy guy.”

It’s not the first time Kattar has sat on the sidelines. The 35-year-old took a year off after a lopsided decision loss to Max Holloway in a Fight of the Night effort in January 2021. He returned a year later in another headliner where he put a beatdown on streaking contender Giga Chikadze, and he plans on making another emphatic return.

“Some new ones (contenders) are emerging a little,” Kattar said of the featherweight division. “The champ’s still doing his thing at the top, so it’s moved slightly. It’s starting to shift a little bit as it usually does, and I think it’ll continue to shift by year’s end. But they better not have forgotten about me because I’m jumping back in the mix soon.”

When asked who has impressed him the most throughout his absence, Kattar said UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, for his activity and willingness to take on all challengers.

“I’d just say the champ, man. He’s continuing to impress me,” Kattar said. “I like the way he carries himself as a champ. Even after the surgery he’s got coming up now, he’s saying he wants to get right back in by the end of the year. That’s just someone that you want in your division with the belt, if it’s not going to be yourself, because he keeps things moving. He accepts all challenges and challengers. That’s what I like, man. I think he’s done a great job up to this point.”

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