MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Austin, a five-round featherweight bout between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. The event takes place on Saturday, June 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Calvin Kattar (-235)
Kattar (23-5) is the No. 4 ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 34-year-old American is 7-3 overall in the UFC with notable wins over Giga Chikadze, Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, and Jeremy Stephens. One of the best boxers at 145lbs, Kattar is super technical with his striking, working off of his jab to land power shots and combinations behind it. He has some of the best conditioning in the division as well and he paces himself nicely over the course of five rounds. One issue that he has is that he tends to get hit a lot. It hasn’t cost him yet as he’s never been knocked out in the UFC, let alone dropped, but it will be interesting to see if the holes in his defense lead to his downfall vs. Emmett.
Josh Emmett (+200)
Emmett (17-2) is the No. 7 ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 36-year-old American is 8-2 in the UFC, with notable wins over Shane Burgos, Dan Ige, Ricardo Lamas, and Michael Johnson. Emmett is one of the most powerful punchers in the UFC featherweight division, having scored 11 knockdowns inside the Octagon, compared to just one against. He has dynamite in his hands and anytime he lands on someone’s chin they can go out cold. He also has some wrestling to fall back on when needed. Overall he is a fantastic fighter to watch, and it will be interesting to see if he can defeat Kattar and breakthrough to become a title contender at 145lbs. Emmett has won his last four fights in a row, and if he can get a fifth straight win over Kattar, he could be looking at a title shot.
Fight Breakdown: This should be an awesome featherweight bout between two of the best fighters in the division, not to mention two of the most exciting fighters in the weight class. Both Kattar and Emmett have no problem standing and trading in the pocket, which should lead to a phenomenal fight between these two warriors. Overall, I’d give the edge in technical striking to Kattar, but I’d give the edge to Emmett for power. Here’s the thing, though. For as much damage as Kattar has taken during his UFC career, he’s never actually been knocked down before. Could it happen here against Emmett? Maybe, but it’s hard to count on that. The other thing is that Kattar has a ton of experience now in five-round main events, while this is only Emmett’s second main event, and he’s never actually gone the full five rounds before. It’s possible Emmett becomes the first man to KO Kattar, but it’s also not completely likely to happen. I’m expecting an absolute war between these two, but given Kattar’s edge in striking volume, his experience in five-round fights, and his height and reach advantages (five inches and two inches, respectively), I have to go with Kattar to win via decision.
Prediction: Calvin Kattar
