UFC on ABC: A Must-Win Situation
By Eddie Sanchez
Max Holloway, the Former Featherweight Champion, will highlight the UFC’s first card of 2021 against the sixth rank contender Calvin Kattar, on ABC at 3 PM ET at Fight Island.
It’s safe to say this is a must-win fight for Max Holloway, who is coming off back-to-back losses to Alexander Volkanovski, and is 1-3 in his last four fights. Although he is still the number one ranked contender in the division, an additional loss would surely see him free-fall in the rankings.
Vegas has Max as the favorite (-160) over Kattar (+140), in a matchup that should attract a lot of eyes given that it will be featured on network television.
The 29 year old Hawaiian is still supremely confident in his abilities. “A lot of people say (Kattar is) one of the better boxers in MMA,” he told Bleacher Report. “The difference between me and him is I’ve been here and he hasn’t quite yet. We’ll get to see how that plays out come fight night, and I can’t wait to go out there and mix it up.”
With Holloway looking to get back on track in the win column, we can expect to see a very exciting fight considering Kattar’s reputation as a come-forward, heavy-handed hitter.
Although there may be a lot of moving parts and reluctance from multiple parties involved, a win over Kattar could set up a trilogy with Volkanovski, which would be the ultimate goal to regain his status as a UFC champion.
Holloway shared with Bleacher Report that, “I’ve got five titles in my house right now, in the closet. Nobody can ever take that away from me, and that’s how we measure greatness in the long run. It’s not who won the last championship match, but who did it the most… and like I always said, I never needed the belt to be a champion,” he added. “A champion is someone who carries himself in a certain way, and that’s what I continue to do.”
Carrying this championship mindset into the new year should do wonders for the former champ and the MMA community is ready to start the year off with a bang! Regardless of who wins, the UFC will be fortunate to showcase a premier matchup on network television to start 2021.
