UFC Fight Island 7 injury report: Coach reveals extent of Calvin Kattar's injuries after Max Holloway beatdown
Calvin Kattar's coach Tyson Chartier has confirmed that the UFC featherweight has broken his nose in the fight against Max Holloway. Kattar has also suffered cuts in the head which needed staples, and some other minor bruising.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported on Twitter about the injury and its extent as revealed by Chartier.
Calvin Kattar was dominated by Max Holloway in the bout which headlined UFC Fight Night 7 at Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Kattar gave it his all but the No. 6 ranked featherweight was thoroughly outclassed by Max Holloway. 'Blessed' clinched the decision victory with rampant 50-43, 50-43, and 50-42 scorecards at the end of the five rounds.
The win will likely put Max Holloway back in title contention after two losses to Alexander Volkanovski, while Calvin Kattar got his two-fight win streak broken in the brutal showdown. Before this, Kattar had consecutive wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige in 2020. Holloway went at Kattar from round 1 with a different kind of aggression, targeting every part of his body that is legally allowed.
Calvin Kattar: Max Holloway is an animal
According to stats, Max Holloway landed 445 well-aimed shots in the fight, which is a UFC record for most number of significant strikes in a single bout. Holloway attacked Kattar from all sides, with every type of striking that is there in the book.
At one point in the fourth round, he had Kattar against the fence while dishing out punches and elbows back to back. It almost seemed like there might be a TKO, but Kattar fought back. However, he was bleeding profusely from his nose, and it seemed like he might have broken it. It has now been confirmed to be true.
Kattar himself also put on a good show by not backing down, but could not match Holloway's champion-level fighting. In the post-fight interview, Calvin Kattar gave credit where it is due and praised Max Holloway openly, saying the former featherweight champion deserved another shot at the title.
"You are going to have to kill me to get me out of there. I'm not going to take any heat from anybody. Max Holloway is an animal. If you ain't a Max Holloway fan, you're a hater. Kid is a beast. Good luck to him, and hopefully the champ next because he deserves another shot," Calvin Kattar said.