Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Calvin Katter after loss at UFC Fight Island 7?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC Fight Island 7 blew the roof off Etihad Arena last Saturday (Jan. 16, 2021) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Santiago Ponzinibbio, who was knocked out by Li Jingliang — who was a late replacement — in the very first round (see it again here).

And Matt Brown, who came up short against Carlos Condit in a back-and-forth Welterweight affair. But which fighter is suffering from one of the worst post-fight hangovers, now a few days removed from the show?

Calvin Kattar.

Coming into his second straight headlining bout, Kattar was looking to score the biggest win of his career by taking out former Featherweight champion, Max Holloway. It’s a fight he was hoping to get for some time, and one that could’ve taken him to the the big dance.

Unfortunately for “The Boston Finisher,” he ran into perhaps the best version of Max Holloway we’ve ever seen. And that’s saying a lot given the fact that “Blessed” schooled former division champion, Jose Aldo, in back-to-back outings.

For 25 minutes, Holloway was simply on a different level, his striking was off the charts and despite Kattar’s best efforts to go toe-to-toe with the former champion he simply couldn’t keep up with the record-breaking volume from the Hawaiian-born fighter.

Despite the loss, Kattar earned even more fans with his gutsy performance because despite being down big and getting his head busted open and rocked on a few occasions, he never stopped fighting and never stopped firing off his own shots. The heart he showed simply can’t be taught, you are either born with it or you’re not, and Kattar has it…and then some.

The loss snapped his two-fight win streak but this setback won’t do much to move him down the rankings. The 32-year old brawler has the skills to bounce right back and if he racks up a couple of wins in a hurry, he will be right back in the mix, especially if he offers to fill in if needed somewhere down the line.

As far as what could be on the horizon for New England Cartel team member, perhaps a fight against Chan Sung Jung is in order. “The Korean Zombie” is coming off a tough loss himself, losing to current No. 1 contender, Brian Ortega, at UFC Fight Island 6 last October after five rounds of action.

Like Kattar, Jung always prefers to stand-and-bang, though he has proven that his ground game is just as lethal. And just like “The Boston Finisher,” Jung only knows how to move forward, which should make for another entertaining Featherweight scrap for the ages. “The Boston Finisher” is ranked just one spot behind Jung at No. 6. and a win gets him right back in the thick of things and helps him erase the memory of his one-sided defeat to “Blessed.”

Any objections?