Max Holloway completely outclassed Calvin Kattar tonight in the main event of UFC on ABC 1. The former featherweight champion put on a performance of a lifetime, earning a unanimous decision win with a shocking scorecard of 50-43, 50-43, and 50-42. Holloway swarmed Kattar early in the fight and continued to dictate the pace throughout all 5 rounds.
When Kattar landed his best shots, Holloway immediately answered back with a counter to the body or a flurry to Kattar’s face. At one point, Holloway even started to do the robot in front of the “The Boston Finisher.”
Kattar is a fighter built of something different. During the fight, Halloway backed Kattar against the fence to face an onslaught of punches, elbows, and kicks from Holloway, while referee Herb Dean intently watched, ready to step in at any moment to stop the fight. But Kattar never went down.
Towards the end of the last round, Holloway began talking to the commentary team, avoiding Kattar’s strikes while landing his stiff jab and proclaimed he is the best boxer in the UFC.
In case either Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier are forced to withdraw for any reason, Holloway hopped on the mic and threw his hat in the ring for next weekend after the scorecards had been read. Holloway has shared the octagon with both men in the past.
This may be the best Max Holloway we have ever seen, and the man is only 29-years-old. If he doesn’t have to fill in for someone next weekend at UFC 257, Holloway should undoubtedly fight for the featherweight championship in his next fight.
Although it wasn’t Kattar’s night, his stock doesn’t go down. Kattar’s power appeared to be a hovering threat over the course of 5 rounds. The conversation is whether or not the Kattar’s corner or Herb Dean should’ve put an end to the fight sooner. UFC President Dana White told Kattar’s team to head to the hospital for an examination immediately. White spoke with ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto following the fight, and believed the fight should have been stopped after round 4. The question of either letting your fighter exhaust all of their options or throwing-in the towel is a conversation that will always be present in the world of combat sports.
The co-main event saw a fight 7-years in the making finally come to fruition. Two fights between Carlos Condit and Matt Brown had been scheduled in the past, but unfortunately, Brown had to withdraw both times due to injuries. Tonight, Condit and Brown finally faced off in an exciting 3 round back and forth battle. Condit’s kicks, ground and pound elbows, and a beautiful trip takedown in the second round all contributed to “The Natural Born Killer” getting the unanimous decision win.
Forced to the sidelines for over 2-years due to his injuries, Santiago Ponzinibbio finally returned to the octagon. Ponzinibbio was then removed from the welterweight rankings due to inactivity. Frustrated but determined, Ponzinibbio hoped to extend his 7-fight win streak and regain his top 10 ranking in the stacked welterweight division. In comes Li Jingliang’s left hand. With a left hook from the floor, China’s “The Leech” landed perfectly on Ponzinibbio’s chin, immediately putting the Argentinean on his back, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight. The KO victory should earn Jingliang a ranked opponent in his next bout.
Joaquin Buckley hoped to capitalize on the momentum tonight following his KO of the year in 2020. Unfortunately for Buckely, he was on the opposite side of the highlight reel tonight. Alessio Di Chirico snapped his 3-fight losing streak by landing a beautiful head kick on Buckely, 3 minutes into the first round.
When two undefeated fighters compete, someone’s “0” has got to go. Unfortunately for Dusko Todorovic, tonight belonged to the Hawaiians. Punahele Soriano continued to find a home for his left hand, sending Todorovic’s mouthpiece flying. After dropping Todorovic multiple times during the first round, Herb Dean finally saw enough, giving Soriano the TKO finish.
UFC on ABC 1: Holloway vs. Kattar marked the return of combat sports to a massive network and the first time that mixed martial arts had been broadcasted on the channel. Not only did it not disappoint, but it surely brought new fans into this wild sport.
QUICK RESULTS
Max Holloway def. Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (50-43 x2, 50-42)
Carlos Condit def. Matt Brown by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Li Jingliang def. Santiago Ponzinibbio by KO
Alessio Di Chirico def. Joaquin Buckley by KO
Punahele Soriano def. Dusko Todorovic by TKO
Joselyne Edwards def. Wu Yanan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa by split decision (29-28, 29-28 x2)
Ramazan Emeev def. David Zawada by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Vanessa Melo def. Sarah Moras by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Austin Lingo def. Jacob Kilburn by unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-27)
