Where Does This Featherweight Contender Go from Here?
UFC Fight Night: Lewis Vs Teixeira was certainly one to forget for longtime Featherweight contender Calvin Kattar. Unlike ‘The Black Beast’ Kattar, who suffered his fifth straight loss at the hands of Steve Garcia, will find himself unranked for the first time since 2020. After losing all three rounds to Garcia, many fans are left questioning what Kattar does next. With increasing concerns over Kattar’s health and damage sustained throughout his career, is retirement the best option for the New England native?
Calvin Kattar entered the UFC in 2017. Kattar, a member of the New England Cartel fight team, burst into the UFC as one of the Featherweight Division's premier boxers. Kattar would quickly gain the attention of MMA fans after exciting knockouts against the likes of Shane Burgos, Ricardo Lamas, and Jeremy Stephens. Wins over top contenders such as Stephens, Lamas, and Dan Ige would launch Kattar into the biggest fight of his life against former Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. In many ways, the fight against Holloway would mark the beginning of the downfall of Kattar’s career.
The Featherweight great Max Holloway would batter Kattar in one of the most one-sided beatdowns in UFC history. Holloway would land 445 strikes on Kattar, a UFC record. Calvin Kattar would take a year off from fighting following this fight, before returning against Giga Chikadze. This would be the last time Kattar would taste victory, as his five-fight skid would begin following a controversial loss to Josh Emmett. Signs of decline would begin to become noticeable for Kattar, who was once touted as one of the best boxers in the entire UFC, as his output would rapidly decrease.
Against Arnold Allen, another top Featherweight boxer, Kattar would only land 14 strikes before injuring his ACL. At UFC 300, the biggest event in UFC history, Kattar would land a career-low eight strikes against Aljamain Sterling over three rounds. In his most recent fight against Steve Garcia, Calvin Kattar would only land 26 strikes against Garcia's 85. Calvin Kattar cannot effectively use the boxing he has relied on throughout his career. Beatdowns, injuries, and failure to use his boxing to his advantage are all reasons Calvin Kattar should retire. The UFC doesn’t favor aging veterans, and given Kattar’s current position within the Featherweight Division, it would be best for ‘The Boston Finisher’ to put his gloves down instead of being fed to up-and-coming prospects.
