Calvin Kattar: I’ll be looking to put Jeremy Stephens away every round at UFC 249

Calvin Kattar thinks he’s in for an exciting contest with Jeremy Stephens.

Kattar (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) takes on Stephens at UFC 249 in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April in a matchup that pits two entertaining strikers who have fight-ending abilities.

Although he’s taking on an opponent who’s dropped three in a row, Kattar still sees Stephens as a worthy opponent. He thinks that Stephens will have a little added motivation with his back against the wall.

“Skids can happen when you’re fighting the best guys in the world,” Kattar told MMA Junkie. “I’m sure he’ll be coming out strong like a guy looking to keep his job, and I’ll be there looking to put him away every round. (It) should make for an exciting fight on an already stacked card.”

Originally scheduled to square off at UFC 248 in March, Stephens (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) suffered an undisclosed injury that pushed the fight back a month. Both fighters may be in slightly different points in their careers, but Kattar is more focused on bouncing back from his most recent loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov with an impressive showing.

“Jeremy asked for this fight,” Kattar said. “Currently, he’s the higher ranked fighter, so it makes sense for me. But it’s not really about who I’m fighting as much as it’s about going out and competing at the best of my abilities every time I step in there. If I’m able to do that, I’m capable of beating anyone in the division.”

In his most recent outing, Kattar flew halfway across the world to take on one of the division’s hottest prospects, Magomedsharipov, in hostile territory. Despite it being the main event, the fight was only three rounds. Kattar started to come on strong in Round 3, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.

Kattar was able to take several positives from the loss, though.

“I belong in more of those big moments against the best guys in the world,” Kattar said. “I want to earn more of those opportunities, and next time I will capitalize. Whether it’s in home or enemy territory, it doesn’t matter much to me – I feed off both.”

Kattar may be taking on someone who’s currently on a losing skid, but Stephens is ranked higher, which should push Kattar closer to the top five with a win.

“A win over Stephens puts me one step closer to the ultimate goal of becoming world champion,” Kattar said. “All 2020, I will be in pursuit of that goal.”