Since Kenny Florian’s heyday, a serious UFC title contender has left the Boston area, but Calvin Kattar is right on the doorstep.
In a UFC main event on ESPN 13 that involved handing the winner to the list of top contenders for Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title, Kattar pitched a game with Dan Ige for 25 minutes. The first three rounds were hotly contested, but Kattar had more gas in the tank during the championship rounds and walked away for a unanimous decision victory. The judges’ scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47.
Kattar (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) stalked Ige (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) from the start of the first round, pushing forward and using body shots to establish follow-up heads. For his part, Ige was more effective when he landed counters, or restarted after Kattar stirred, then caught him before he could restart. A surge in Kattar’s closing seconds likely sealed the round in his favor.
Ige’s best round was the second. His best moment of the fight came when he used a large body shot to establish a brutal left hand that probably broke Kattar’s nose, which he originally broke in his victory over Jeremy Stephens in May. Ige continued to land sharp combos on the body and head as Kattar seemed to lose sight of his game plan.
“Dan is a tough kid,” said Kattar. “I think I’m mentally stronger than these guys, and I show it. I think it’s hard not to get hurt in a fight with my style, but I give Dan credit: he’s a tough kid. “
Kattar regrouped and returned to the fight, and although the third round was the least hectic of the fight, by the end Kattar had restored control while successfully implementing her jab.
During the last two rounds, Kattar’s power grew more pronounced. Ige stopped throwing combos and settled for individual shots when he was able to find them, as evidenced by Kattar’s 23-7 and 27-11 lead in significant hits in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. Ige never stopped trying to find an opportunity, but Kattar wasn’t going to give up and emphatically ended the fight by dropping Ige and handing out dirt and punches to the final horn.
With the win, Kattar has now won two consecutive games and four of her last five. Ige broke a six-fight winning streak and was kind in defeat.
“Calvin is one of the best in the world,” said Ige. “(I) just went out and tested myself and tested my will. He is very cunning, man.
The featherweight fight was the main event in the UFC on ESPN 13 at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It aired on ESPN and aired on ESPN +.
Updated UFC results on ESPN 13 include:
Calvin Kattar def. Dan Ige by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) Tim Elliott def. Ryan Benoit by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Jimmie Rivera def. Cody Stamann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Taila Santos def. Molly McCann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Mounir Lazzez def. Abdul Razak Alhassan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Khamzat Chimaev def. John Phillips by submission (choke D’Arce) – Round 2, 1:12 Lerone Murphy def. Ricardo Ramos via TKO (blows) – Round 1, 4:18 Modest Bukauskas def. Andreas Michailidis via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 5:00 Jared Gordon def. Chris Fishgold by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) Liana Jojua def. Diana Belbita via submission (arm) – Round 1, 2:43 Jack Shore def. Aaron Phillips by submission (bare rear choke) – Round 2, 2:29
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