A matchup between surging featherweights Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige will headline the UFC’s July 15 fight card on “Fight Island.”
Kattar (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Ige (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) have agreed to meet in the main event event of the UFC’s four-card series on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, throughout July.
MMA Junkie confirmed with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make the fight official.
Kattar, 32, will attempt to build further momentum off a big knockout win over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 in May. The No. 9 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA featherweight rankings gets his second main event in his past three fights, with him having lost a decision to Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in November.
No. 13-ranked Ige, meanwhile, jumps into his first headlining spot after edging Edson Barboza in a somewhat controversial split decision at UFC on ESPN 8 in May. “Dynamite” has won six consecutive fights since dropping his UFC debut in January 2018.
The latest on the UFC’s July 15 event includes:
Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez
Molly McCann vs. Taila Santos
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Mounir Lazzez
Aleksander Doskalchuk vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vinicius Moreira
Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige headlines UFC's July 15 event in Abu Dhabi
