UFC on ESPN 37 Preview
The UFC will be invading the Moody Center in Austin, Texas for UFC on ESPN 37 on Saturday June 18th. The main event will be in the featherweight division between #4 Calvin Kattar and #7 Josh Emmett.
Kattar is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Giga Chikadze in January. The win was a big rebound after being dominated by former champion Max Holloway in his previous fight one year prior. However, Kattar has proven in his last two fights that he is one of the toughest most durable fighters in the UFC.
The 34-year-old looks at this fight with Emmett as another golden opportunity. “I’m trying to change my life with these wins, and it’s to the point now where I’m getting more money for my fights, higher profile fights, main events, and every time I step in there is an opportunity to change my life,” said Kattar.
The Massachusetts native went on to say, “You either settle for the life you have or you fight for the life you want, and I’m just bustin’ my ass to make my dream a reality, and provide things for my family that we never really had,” he said. “I don’t care who the f*** you put me across from — I’ll stand across from anybody if it means me getting these things that I see for myself and my family; I’m willing to fight anybody in the world for that.”
Kattar knows what he is up against in Emmett. “Emmett is a dangerous puncher, powerful puncher, and he carries that power throughout the fight,” he said of his main event cohort. “He’s done what he has to do with a lot of opponents, he’s climbing the ranks for a reason, and he’s a quality opponent.
He continued, “In order to get these main events, you can’t fight bums,” Kattar continued, the tenor and tone of his voice elevating. “You want a main event, you’re going to need a strong B-Side, or A-Side — I don’t give a f*** who you call the A or the B, but you’re gonna need a tough fight if you want a big moment opportunity.”
“They don’t give big moment opportunities for layups.”
Aside from Chikadze, Kattar has key wins over Dan Ige, Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas. A second win in a row over a tough fighter such as Emmett would put Kattar’s name back in the title conversation at 145 pounds.
Emmett has won four straight and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ige at UFC 269 in December. Kattar represents the biggest win of his career and a chance for the 37-year-old to be taken seriously for a title shot.
The Phoenix native is looking forward to a tough fight with Kattar. “I know Kattar has great striking. He has slick boxing. I think I have really good boxing, too,” Emmett said. “I’ve worked with my boxing coach, Joey Rodriguez, for seven, eight years, something like that. Him and I, we’ve been working year-round this whole time. I’ve gone to multiple boxing gyms, and a lot of the boxing coaches, they think I’m a boxer then Joey’s like, ‘No, he comes from a wrestling background.’”
Emmett also is aware of how difficult it is to finish Kattar. “He’s good everywhere,” Emmett said. “Some of his good attributes are he’s so damn tough, and he has that will to win and that heart, so he’s gonna keep coming forward. He’s always in the fight. He’s always dangerous. As far as me, I just have to stick to my game plan. I have to just be present in the moment and just stay calm.”
Most people are expecting the fight to be a striking battle and it is hard to imagine the fight going anywhere else. Both fighters hold tremendous power in their hands with Kattar having the edge in technical striking. For Kattar to win he will have to display the same type of angles and footwork he has in previous fights and stay away from Emmett’s power. Emmett will need to find a way to close the distance and get inside on Kattar and win the clinches to land his power right hand.
The rest of the main card:
Lightweight - Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon
Welterweight - Kevin Holland vs. Tim Means
Middleweight - Joaquin Buckley vs. Albert Duraev
Lightweight - Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze
Middleweight - Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodrigues
The ESPN 2 Prelims:
Bantamweight - Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley
Women's Flyweight -Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Natália Silva
Welterweight - Court McGee vs. Jeremiah Wells
Featherweight - Ricardo Ramos vs. Danny Chavez
Women's Strawweight - Maria Oliveira vs. Gloria de Paula
Bantamweight - Eddie Wineland vs. Cody Stamann
Middleweight - Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn
Middleweight - Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus
