There was a time when ABC featured prime-time boxing matchups featuring the greats of the sweet science, and now the storied network will take up MMA, as UFC will make its first appearance on a major network since 2018, when UFC on FOX: Lee vs Iaquinta 2 took place. The action is set for the newly constructed Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, and there will be fans in the arena, the first time spectators have been permitted at a UFC event since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The headliner will feature Calvin Kattar and former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. The co-main event is a welterweight bout between Matt Brown and Carlos Condit.
Let’s take a look at the full fight card along with UFC betting thoughts on the key matchups.
UFC on ABC 1: Holloway vs Kattar
Main Card (ABC / ESPN+)
Max Holloway vs Calvin Kattar (Featherweight)
Carlos Condit vs Matt Brown (Welterweight)
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Li Jingliang (Welterweight)
Joaquin Buckley vs Alessio Di Chirico (Middleweight)
Punahele Soriano vs Dusko Todorovic (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Phil Hawes vs Nassourdine Imavov (Middleweight)
Wu Yanan vs Joselyne Edwards (Women’s Bantamweight)
Carlos Felipe vs Justin Tafa (Heavyweight)
David Zawada vs Ramazan Emeev (Welterweight)
Sarah Moras vs Vanessa Melo (Women’s Bantamweight)
Jacob Kilburn vs Austin Lingo (Featherweight)
Max Holloway (21-6, 17-6 UFC, -155) vs Calvin Kattar (22-4, 6-2 UFC, +135) is Holloway’s latest shot at re-establishing himself as the top featherweight fighter in UFC. He took the title in 2017 with a pair of wins over Jose Aldo and made a strong defense against Brian Ortega. He moved up to lightweight but got beaten handily by Dustin Poirier. Holloway came back down to featherweight and defended his belt against Frankie Edgar. However, his next title defense, against Alexander Volkanovski, did not go so well. Volkanovski used leg kicks and defense to roll to a victory. Holloway did much better in the rematch, putting together a kicking game, but Volkanovski still prevailed in a controversial decision. There is some demand for a trilogy fight, but for now Holloway has to wait for Volkanovski to polish off some other challengers.
Kattar came into UFC in 2017, and wins over Andre Fili and Shane Burgos got him off to a solid start. His boxing is the best part of his MMA repertoire, and once he has an opponent read, he can bring combos that overwhelm his opponents. He has improved as far as getting off to faster starts in his fights, instead of needing as much time to figure his counterparts out. He has taken down such veterans as Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas, and becoming a contender means he’s getting more five-round fights.
This is a difficult fight to call because both fighters are so skilled at making adjustments. I expect Holloway to get out to an early edge, but as Kattar adjusts and Holloway opens up, Kattar should find room to land some bombs. Given the close nature of the fight, I’m going with the value.
Final Prediction:
Kattar wins via decision
Carlos Condit (31-13, 8-9 UFC, -160) vs Matt Brown (22-17, 15-11 UFC, +140) will feature two of the most fearless strikers in the promotion. Condit got a title bout against Robbie Lawler in 2016, in large part because of the sheer violence that he brings. That title fight barely went to Lawler after 25 minutes of mayhem. However, that was the start of a five-fight losing streak for Condit. Basically, his strategy is to take punishment while he figures out his opponent’s weaknesses. His chin is still made of granite, but his striking pace and volume have decreased over the past few years. His last fight was a win against Court McGee, of Condit’s generation but of less stature.
Brown also saw his path to the title stopped by Lawler, in an eliminator bout that showed that Brown didn’t have the defensive wherewithal to beat the contenders in the division. After delivering a thunderous knockout of Diego Sanchez near the end of 2017, Brown talked about retiring. He tore an ACL in training for his next fight and eventually came back to beat Ben Saunders at the end of 2019. His last fight was against Miguel Baeza, and Brown was tallying up the points at the start until Baeza delivered a knockout at the beginning of the second round.
Brown seems more reliable at this point in time, and he brings the sort of pressure and violence that has beaten Condit in the past.
Final Prediction:
Browns wins via decision
UFC Betting Odds
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