The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 163: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar
Tonight saw the UFC head to Moscow for UFC Fight Night 163, and while the show was low on name value, with a heavy contingent of Russian fighters in action it was hoped that we’d get an exciting and fun show with a hot crowd.
Did we get that? Kind of. There were some epic finishes up and down the card, but a run of slower fights early on the main card slowed things to a crawl and meant that the show overall ended up being somewhat forgettable. Still, at least the main event was fun.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Fight Night 163: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar.
#1 Best: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar lives up to the hype
Most UFC fans were excited by the idea of Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Calvin Kattar, wondering how Zabit’s wild combination of striking and grappling would fare against Kattar’s excellent cardio and clean boxing style, and everyone was hoping for a great fight. Well, we were definitely treated to the best fight on the card overall by the main event, and when all was said and done, the only complaint was that it wasn’t a five-round bout.
Magomedsharipov was able to win a unanimous decision, largely due to the first two rounds, when he was able to use his length to land some nasty kicks on the Boston native as well as drag him to the ground on a couple of occasions. But Kattar hung tough and came on strong in the third round, landing the better punches as it looked like Zabit was tiring. An ill-advised flying knee attempt allowed the Dagestani to take him down though, and the fight ended there.
Post-fight saw Magomedsharipov call out the winner of Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski for a Featherweight title fight, and while a couple of other contenders – namely Chan Sung Jung and Yair Rodriguez – may have something to say about that, it’s definitely a possibility. For Kattar, he proved that he belongs in the upper echelon of this division, and considering how stacked it is, that’s quite the statement.
After a so-so show leading up to this fight, the UFC needed its main event to deliver, and it certainly did just that.