Calvin Kattar says anyone who wants the UFC featherweight title must go through Max Holloway first
Calvin Kattar has cemented his position as one of the best fighters in the UFC featherweight division in 2020. The Massachusetts native has put on a string of impressive performances against some of the top featherweights and he will have an opportunity to spearhead the 145-pound division on January 16, 2021.
Kattar is set to fight the former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway, at UFC Fight Night 184. If the 32-year-old manages to get the better of his opponent, he will most certainly have a crack at the title against the current champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Calvin Kattar claims "it doesn't make sense" to fight for the title without defeating Max Holloway
Calvin Kattar recently spoke to MMA Fighting's Mike Heck on the What the Heck show. He stated that anyone who wants to lay a claim on the featherweight belt, must go through Max Holloway.
“I think anybody that wants to fight for the belt should have to go through Max (Holloway)... To bypass Max on the way to the belt just doesn’t make sense to me. If you want to be the champion, you have to take out Max Holloway on the way and I’ve got the opportunity in front of me," said Kattar.
Kattar added that not too many fighters are willing to challenge Holloway other than him, and one of his goals will be to fight Alexander Volkanovski after he beats the former champion.
"I think after Max, that would be the goal for me, and whoever wanted that opportunity, had it when they could have fought Max but I don’t see too many people chomping at the bit to fight him besides myself."
Will Calvin Kattar fight for the title if he beats Max Holloway?
Calvin Kattar is currently ranked No. 5 on the UFC featherweight division rankings. It goes without saying that the 32-year-old will present a very strong claim to fight Alexander Volkanovski if he indeed overpowers Max Holloway on January 16. Kattar is likely to skyrocket his way to the top of the division if he beats Holloway.
Although there have been rumors about Brian Ortega, who recently dismantled "The Korean Zombie", potentially challenging Volkanovski for a fight, Ortega has fought only once in almost two years which may diminish his chances of a title shot.
Katter, on the other hand, earned two impressive victories in 2020 against Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige. A win over Holloway could easily propel him to the summit of the UFC featherweight division.