American mixed martial artist (born 1988)
Calvin Kattar ( KAY -tər ; born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist and owner of MMA promotion Combat Zone .[ 4] [ 5] He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2007, Kattar formerly competed for EliteXC . As of September 17, 2024, he is #10 in UFC featherweight rankings [ 6]
Background
The son of James and Sandra Kattar, Calvin was born and raised in Methuen, Massachusetts .[ 7] He has two brothers and a sister.[ 8] [ 7] After initiating in the sport in ninth grade , Kattar was a standout wrestler at Methuen High School ,[ 9] being ranked as high as eighth in the state (160 pounds)[ 10] and placing fifth at the Division I MIAA state championships as a senior in 2006.[ 11] After graduating , he was unsure whether he should wrestle in college or not, and ended up opting to pursue a career in mixed martial arts .[ 11] He went on to earn an associate degree at Middlesex Community College .[ 12] In an interview, Kattar expressed that he got a chance to train with Nick and Nate Diaz when he was 19 years old, and how that influenced his way of training, stating:
“I got like three bloody noses a day. I’m out there dogging it out. I’m by myself. But it was a great opportunity. Long term I was able to see these guys and how they train on the West Coast. Watching the Diaz brothers train at 1 a.m. and realizing you can lie to yourself and say guys aren’t training like that, but somewhere they are. I was exposed to that, which is great."[ 13]
Mixed martial arts career
Kattar won eight consecutive bouts and was unbeaten in over seven years competing on the regional circuit primarily in his native New England prior to his UFC career.[ 14]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Kattar made his UFC debut replacing Choi Doo-ho against Andre Fili on July 29, 2017 at UFC 214 .[ 14] Kattar won the fight by unanimous decision.[ 15]
Kattar faced undefeated prospect Shane Burgos on January 20, 2018 at UFC 220 .[ 16] Kattar won the fight via technical knock out in round three.[ 17] The fight was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus.[ 18]
Kattar faced Renato Moicano on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223 .[ 19] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[ 20]
Kattar faced promotional newcomer Chris Fishgold on October 27, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 138 .[ 21] He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[ 22] By the bout, Kattar fulfilled his first four-fight contract with the UFC.[ 23]
Kattar faced Ricardo Lamas at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019.[ 24] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[ 25]
Kattar was scheduled to face Zabit Magomedsharipov on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6 .[ 26] However, Magomedsharipov was removed from the card due to injury on September 13 and the pairing was rescheduled for the following month at UFC on ESPN+ 21 .[ 27] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[ 28] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[ 29]
Kattar was scheduled to face Jeremy Stephens on April 18, 2020 at UFC 249 .[ 30] However, on April 9, Dana White , the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed[ 31] and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020.[ 32] At the weigh-ins on May 8, Stephens missed weight, weighing in at 150.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the non-title featherweight limit. As a result, the bout proceeded as a catchweight bout and Stephens was fined 20% of his purse which went to Kattar.[ 33] Kattar won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[ 34]
The first bout of his new six-fight contract came against Dan Ige on July 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige .[ 35] [ 36] Kattar won the fight via unanimous decision.[ 37]
Next, Kattar faced former UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway , while headlining UFC on ABC 1 on January 16, 2021.[ 38] In a one-sided fight where Kattar suffered plenty of physical trauma due to Holloway's strikes, which set multiple UFC records, he was defeated by unanimous decision.[ 39] [ 40] Despite being a one-sided fight, both competitors earned the Fight of the Night award as Kattar was able to land powerful strikes of his own, despite all the damage he received.[ 41] [ 42]
Kattar faced Giga Chikadze on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32 .[ 43] He won the fight via unanimous decision after knocking down and almost finishing Chikadze in the final seconds of the bout.[ 44] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[ 45]
Kattar faced Josh Emmett on June 18, 2022 in the main event at UFC on ESPN 37 .[ 46] He lost the close bout via split decision.[ 47] 14 of 19 MMA media outlets scored the bout in favor of Kattar.[ 48] This fight earned him his third consecutive Fight of the Night award.[ 49]
Kattar faced Arnold Allen on October 29, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213 .[ 50] He lost the fight via technical knockout following a knee injury.[ 51]
Kattar faced former UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on April 13, 2024 at UFC 300 .[ 52] Kattar lost the fight by unanimous decision.[ 53]
Kattar was scheduled to face Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242 .[ 54] However, Kattar withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Steve Garcia .[ 55]
Kattar is scheduled to face Youssef Zalal on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251 .[ 56]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
31 matches
23 wins
8 losses
By knockout
11
1
By submission
2
1
By decision
10
6
Res.
Record
Opponent
Method
Event
Date
Round
Time
Location
Notes
Loss
23–8
Aljamain Sterling
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 300
April 13, 2024
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Loss
23–7
Arnold Allen
TKO (knee injury)
UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen
October 29, 2022
2
0:08
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Loss
23–6
Josh Emmett
Decision (split)
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett
June 18, 2022
5
5:00
Austin, Texas , United States
Fight of the Night.
Win
23–5
Giga Chikadze
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze
January 15, 2022
5
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada , United States
Fight of the Night.
Loss
22–5
Max Holloway
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar
January 16, 2021
5
5:00
Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates
Fight of the Night.
Win
22–4
Dan Ige
Decision (unanimous)
UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige
July 16, 2020
5
5:00
Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates
Win
21–4
Jeremy Stephens
KO (elbows)
UFC 249
May 9, 2020
2
2:42
Jacksonville, Florida , United States
Catchweight (150.5 lb) bout; Stephens missed weight.
Loss
20–4
Zabit Magomedsharipov
Decision (unanimous)
UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar
November 9, 2019
3
5:00
Moscow , Russia
Fight of the Night.
Win
20–3
Ricardo Lamas
KO (punches)
UFC 238
June 8, 2019
1
4:06
Chicago, Illinois , United States
Win
19–3
Chris Fishgold
TKO (punches)
UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith
October 27, 2018
1
4:11
Moncton, New Brunswick , Canada
Loss
18–3
Renato Moicano
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 223
April 7, 2018
3
5:00
Brooklyn, New York , United States
Win
18–2
Shane Burgos
TKO (punches)
UFC 220
January 20, 2018
3
0:32
Boston, Massachusetts , United States
Fight of the Night.
Win
17–2
Andre Fili
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 214
July 29, 2017
3
5:00
Anaheim, California , United States
Win
16–2
Chris Foster
Decision (unanimous)
CES 38: Soriano vs. Makashvili
September 23, 2016
3
5:00
Mashantucket, Connecticut , United States
Win
15–2
Kenny Foster
Decision (split)
CES 34: Curtis vs. Burrell
April 1, 2016
3
5:00
Mashantucket, Connecticut , United States
Win
14–2
Gabriel Baino
Decision (unanimous)
Combat Zone 44: Steel Cage Fighters
June 14, 2013
3
5:00
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Win
13–2
Saul Almeida
Decision (unanimous)
CES 13: Real Pain
October 6, 2012
3
5:00
Providence, Rhode Island , United States
Win
12–2
Cody Stevens
Decision (unanimous)
Combat Zone 39: Smack Down at the Rock
October 21, 2011
3
5:00
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Featherweight debut.
Win
11–2
Luiz Rodrigues
Decision (unanimous)
Combat Zone 36: Smashing on the Rock
January 28, 2011
3
5:00
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Win
10–2
Chris Connor
TKO (punches)
Combat Zone 33: Massacre in the Meadow
June 19, 2010
1
3:40
Gilford, New Hampshire , United States
Win
9–2
Jeff Anderson
TKO (punches)
Xtreme Championship Fight League 2
March 26, 2010
3
4:05
Lowell, Massachusetts , United States
Loss
8–2
Don Carlo-Clauss
Decision (split)
Xtreme Championship Fight League 1
February 6, 2010
3
5:00
Marlborough, Massachusetts , United States
Win
8–1
Andrew Montanez
Decision (unanimous)
American Steel Cagefighting 2
September 11, 2009
5
5:00
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Win
7–1
Rodrigo Almeida
Submission (guillotine choke)
World Championship Fighting 7
June 27, 2009
1
2:16
Wilmington, Massachusetts , United States
Win
6–1
Jonathan Bermudez
TKO (punches)
Combat Zone 27: The Rock 2
February 6, 2009
1
0:29
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Win
5–1
Bobby Diaz
Submission (triangle choke)
World Championship Fighting 5
November 14, 2008
1
1:21
Wilmington, Massachusetts , United States
Win
4–1
Kevin Roddy
KO (punches)
Combat Zone 26: The Rock
September 26, 2008
1
0:47
Salem, New Hampshire , United States
Loss
3–1
James Jones
Submission (rear-naked choke)
EliteXC: Primetime
May 31, 2008
1
4:49
Newark, New Jersey , United States
Win
3–0
Bob Pupa
TKO (submission to punches)
Combat Zone 24: Renaissance
October 13, 2007
1
0:51
Revere, Massachusetts , United States
Win
2–0
Donald Peters
TKO (punches)
Combat Zone 23: Down and Out
August 25, 2007
1
N/A
Revere, Massachusetts , United States
Win
1–0
Tony Armijo
TKO (punches)
Combat Zone 22: Cage Masters 3
June 23, 2007
1
2:02
Derry, New Hampshire , United States
[ 61]
See also
References
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^ Matt Ribaudo (November 5, 2020). "Fighting For Boston" . bostonmanmagazine.com .
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^ "Calvin Kattar in Dana White mode with Combat Zone as he patiently awaits next UFC booking" . MMA Junkie . March 19, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2024 .
^ "Combat Zone | Contact" . Combat Zone MMA . Retrieved June 24, 2024 .
^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com" . www.ufc.com . Retrieved September 17, 2024 .
^ a b Tim Wood (August 10, 2017). "Meet Calvin Kattar: After A Decade In The Minors, Now A Rising MMA Star After UFC 214 Win" . forbes.com .
^ "Methuen's Kattar looking to make a name for himself in MMA" . eagletribune.com. October 12, 2008.
^ "UFC Boston: Methuen's Calvin Kattar among wrestlers with MMA advantage" . Boston Herald . October 16, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ "Forums / Rankings and Predictions / Week 5 Rankings!! As published in WrestlingUSA!!! - MassWrestling.com" . masswrestling.com . Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ a b Siegel, Alan (October 12, 2008). "Methuen's Kattar looking to make a name for himself in MMA" . Eagle-Tribune . Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ Altatis, Conan (June 9, 2019). "Calvin Kattar earns 4th UFC win, beats Ricardo Lamas at 'UFC 238' in Chicago" . CONAN Daily . Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ Gross, Josh (November 6, 2019). "Boston's own Calvin Kattar: 'The only thing we don't have out here is a UFC titleholder' " . The Athletic . Retrieved January 1, 2021 .
^ a b Jordan Breen (July 17, 2017). "Calvin Kattar signs with the UFC, steps in for Doo Ho Choi versus Andre Fili at UFC 214" . sherdog.com. Retrieved July 17, 2017 .
^ "UFC 214 results: Calvin Kattar upsets Andre Fili by clean-sweep decision on short notice" . MMAjunkie . July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017 .
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^ Ben Fowlkes (October 28, 2018). "With UFC contract expired, Calvin Kattar waits on what's next – and reflects on bird that left him" . mmajunkie.com.
^ Guillen, Adam Jr. (April 2, 2019). "Ricardo Lamas vs Calvin Kattar booked for UFC 238 on June 8 in Chicago" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved April 3, 2019 .
^ "UFC 238 results: Calvin Kattar starches Ricardo Lamas with one-two" . MMA Junkie . June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019 .
^ Brett Okamato (August 6, 2019). "Magomedsharipov-Kattar to headline Oct. 18 card" . espn.com . Retrieved August 6, 2019 .
^ Tristen Critchfield. "Zabit Magomedsharipov, Calvin Kattar Rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow" . sherdog.com. Retrieved September 17, 2019 .
^ Evanoff, Josh (November 9, 2019). "UFC Moscow Results: Zabit Magomedsharipov Outstrikes Calvin Kattar" . Cageside Press . Retrieved November 9, 2019 .
^ a b Jon Fuentes (November 9, 2019). "UFC Moscow Bonuses, Attendance & Gate" . lowkickmma.com . Retrieved November 10, 2019 .
^ Nolan King (January 23, 2020). "Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens in the works for UFC 249" . mmajunkie.com . Retrieved January 23, 2020 .
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^ "Broken nose among injuries Calvin Kattar sustained in UFC on ABC 1 loss" . MMA Junkie . January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021 .
^ Anderson, Jay (January 16, 2021). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Max Holloway Outdoes Himself Against Calvin Kattar" . Cageside Press . Retrieved January 16, 2021 .
^ a b Hiergesell, Dan (January 16, 2021). "UFC Fight Island 7 Bonuses! 'Leech' Banks $50K For Stopping Ponzinibbio" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved January 16, 2021 .
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^ "Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett" . MMADecisions.com . Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022 .
^ a b MMA Fighting Newswire (June 18, 2022). "UFC Austin post-fight bonuses: All finishers earn $50k payouts" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved June 18, 2022 .
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^ Anderson, Jay (October 29, 2022). "UFC Vegas 63: Arnold Allen Picks Up TKO as Calvin Kattar's Knee Gives Out" . Cageside Press . Retrieved October 30, 2022 .
^ Cole Shelton (December 21, 2023). "Dana White announces several new fights including three for UFC 300" . bjpenn.com. Retrieved December 21, 2023 .
^ McCorry, Patrick (April 14, 2024). "UFC 300: Aljamain Sterling Takes Decision Over Calvin Kattar in 145lb Debut" . Cageside Press . Retrieved April 14, 2024 .
^ "UFC books Calvin Kattar vs. Kyle Nelson for September" . MMA Junkie . June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024 .
^ Damon Martin (August 3, 2024). "With Calvin Kattar out, Steve Garcia steps in to face Kyle Nelson at UFC Vegas 97" . mmafighting.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024 .
^ Behunin, Alexander (December 31, 2024). "Youssef Zalal draws first Top 15 matchup for UFC Vegas 102" . MMAmania.com . Retrieved December 31, 2024 .
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^ Thomas Gerbasi (December 25, 2020). "The 10 Best Knockouts of 2020" . Ultimate Fighting Championship .
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External links
Updated to 10 December 2024