Calvin Kattar is no stranger to bouncing back, and that’s exactly what he plans to do again.
Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) blew out his knee just eight seconds into Round 2 of his TKO loss to Arnold Allen last October. He’s been on the mend ever since after undergoing surgery and is hoping to return by the end of the year.
“I pride myself in being mentally tough, but this one was challenging,” Kattar told Middle Easy. “It’s a long recovery, slow process, but I’m happy with progress no matter what, no matter how slow it is. So, it was incrementally getting better. One percent every day, you give me that, I’m a happy guy.”
It’s not the first time Kattar has sat on the sidelines. The 35-year-old took a year off after a lopsided decision loss to Max Holloway in a Fight of the Night effort in January 2021. He returned a year later in another headliner where he put a beatdown on streaking contender Giga Chikadze, and he plans on making another emphatic return.
“Some new ones (contenders) are emerging a little,” Kattar said of the featherweight division. “The champ’s still doing his thing at the top, so it’s moved slightly. It’s starting to shift a little bit as it usually does, and I think it’ll continue to shift by year’s end. But they better not have forgotten about me because I’m jumping back in the mix soon.”
When asked who has impressed him the most throughout his absence, Kattar said UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, for his activity and willingness to take on all challengers.
“I’d just say the champ, man. He’s continuing to impress me,” Kattar said. “I like the way he carries himself as a champ. Even after the surgery he’s got coming up now, he’s saying he wants to get right back in by the end of the year. That’s just someone that you want in your division with the belt, if it’s not going to be yourself, because he keeps things moving. He accepts all challenges and challengers. That’s what I like, man. I think he’s done a great job up to this point.”
