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Calvin Kattar and a lot others would’ve felt justified in their pre-fight pick, for long-reigning former featherweight titlist Max Holloway’s championship experience to pay dividends down the stretch against determined contender Arnold Allen. While there’s comfort from familiarity, it also means featherweight finds itself stuck – at least for a little while – atop the division.
Continue reading “UFC Kansas City: Holloway halts Allen’s mammoth win streak, so now we wait”
Having shared the cage with both of tomorrow’s main event fighters, albeit finishing in contrasting circumstances, #7 ranked featherweight contender Calvin Kattar today shared his opinion on the landscape at 145lbs. Still recovering from a torn ACL injury, the 35-year-old remains excited about the future in a division bound to continue shifting at the top before his return. Continue reading “Calvin Kattar calls Holloway vs. Allen true #1 contender fight at 145lbs – he’s right”
Sure, you would much rather fight reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski for the undisputed championship. However, an interim title shot is the biggest honour either Yair Rodriguez or Josh Emmett have managed in their respective careers and given the 145lb division remains in flux, both would be wise to seize it during tonight’s co-main event. Continue reading “UFC 284: Interim featherweight title or not, Emmett and Rodriguez now have a career-best showcase”
Before the promotion’s top two pound-for-pound stars do battle this weekend, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev believes he will make his first title defence an emphatic one against featherweight titlist Alexander Volkanovski, in the Aussie’s backyard. The 34-year-old, moving up a weight division to chase history, feels he is well-prepared to physically surprise Makhachev, having bulked up in the months since his decisive trilogy win over Max Holloway. Continue reading “UFC 284: Makhachev eager to secure a KO finish against ‘brick wall’ Volkanovski this weekend”
Calvin Kattar looks to defend his top-five ranking against a surging contender in Britain’s Arnold Allen later tonight, a matchup serving as an unofficial 145lb title eliminator. Before their Fight Night main event clash from the UFC’s Apex, here’s a look back at a contentious split decision Kattar suffered vs. Josh Emmett five months ago – before his fifth straight headliner. Continue reading “Rewind: Before Arnold Allen main event, a look back at Kattar’s split decision loss vs. Emmett on Jun. 18”
As he continues recovery from the broken thumb sustained during his dominant title defence over former champ Max Holloway earlier this month, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski wants the winner of UFC 280’s lightweight title headliner: Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev. Based on last weekend’s result, should he attend to the business awaiting him at 145lbs first? Continue reading “UFC Long Island: What’s next for Volkanovski after Rodriguez’s anticlimactic main event victory?”
Israel Adesanya made the fifth defence of his middleweight title against Jared Cannonier, on an evening where the champion’s next challenge presented itself: former kickboxing foe Alex Pereira, who thunderously ended #4 ranked Sean Strickland’s four-year unbeaten run. In the co-main event, featherweight titlist Alexander Volkanovski closed the chapter on his Max Holloway trilogy with a one-sided UD win before stressing a desire to move up to lightweight. Continue reading “UFC 276: Adesanya outpoints Cannonier, after Volkanovski dominates Holloway in trilogy fight”
It’s taken longer than expected, but as the saying goes: good things come to those who wait. So, will April 9 prove another successful title defence for Alexander Volkanovski? What about the eagerly-anticipated bantamweight unification battle between Aljamain Sterling and interim titlist Petr Yan, a rivalry left to fester after their controversial ending last March? We will see. Continue reading “UFC 273 Preview: Two title fights, bad blood and compelling matchups to settle”
Fresh from his impressive decision win over rising contender Giga Chikadze last month, the #5 ranked featherweight has revealed he is staying ready as he looks to secure a reserve role, which could see him potentially fight for gold at UFC 273 on April 9 after former champion Max Holloway withdrew from his proposed Alexander Volkanovski trilogy with an undisclosed injury. Continue reading “Staying ready: Calvin Kattar keen for UFC 273 back-up role ahead of Volk-Zombie title fight”
Despite outside noise suggesting otherwise, Calvin Kattar (#5) defended his ranking with aplomb – producing a brilliant all-round display to earn a shutout victory against surging Georgian Giga Chikadze (#8), inflicting his first UFC loss. Prior, there were contrasting decision wins for flyweight Brandon Royval and women’s flyweight Katlyn Chookagian, among others.
Continue reading “UFC Vegas 46: Calvin Kattar returns in style, earns dominant UD win vs. Giga Chikadze”
A pair of compelling championship fights are scheduled to headline the UFC 272 PPV card from the T-Mobile Arena on March 5, when Alexander Volkanovski prepares to make the third defence of his featherweight title vs. former champ Max Holloway in their trilogy, while Aljamain Sterling faces interim titlist Petr Yan in a long-awaited rematch for the bantamweight strap. Continue reading “UFC 272: Volkanovski-Holloway 3, Sterling-Yan 2 title fights to headline March 5 PPV”
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway (#1) added another victory to his ever-increasing pile in the 145lb division (18) but needed to dig deep, recovering from a shaky start to eventually outstrike the returning Yair Rodriguez (#3) and earn a hard-fought decision win.
Continue reading “UFC Vegas 42: Max Holloway outworks Yair Rodriguez in featherweight war”
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