Max Holloway was at his blistering best when he fought Calvin Kattar in January 2021.
Back-to-back decision defeats to Alexander Volkanovski had fans wondering if ‘Blessed’ still had what it takes to compete at the top before UFC on ABC 1.
Calvin Kattar appeared to be the next big featherweight star after picking up wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige.
On paper, ‘The Boston Finisher’ was a tough test for Max Holloway, who proved why he was a champion by making their fight look like a mismatch during a historic 25-minute beating.
Max Holloway’s historic mauling of Calvin Kattar
Holloway battered Kattar with punches during one of the most lopsided five-round fights of all time.
The BMF champion landed 447 strikes as he beat Kattar bloody to set a new UFC record for most strikes landed in a single fight.
Holloway famously screamed, ‘I’m the best boxer in the UFC‘ while landing shots and dodging his opponent’s counters during the fight’s most famous moment.
Somehow, Kattar managed to survive to hear the final bell, but the judges didn’t reward him for it.
They all gave Holloway multiple 10-8 rounds as he scored a unanimous decision (50–43, 50–43, 50–42) win.
Where are they now?
After moving up to lightweight, Max Holloway will headline against Dustin Poirier, who will retire at UFC 318 on Saturday night.
The Hawaiian fan favorite is 4-2 in fights he’s had since pulverizing Kattar four years ago.
Holloway brutally knocked out Justin Gaethje to cement his superstar status at UFC 300 in April 2024.
In contrast, Kattar has been unable to get his career back on track since losing to Holloway.
Fans begged the former 145lb contender to stop fighting after he suffered a ‘pathetic’ loss at UFC Nashville this past weekend.
Since facing Holloway, Kattar has won just one fight and is now riding a five-bout losing streak.
It’s the type of form that usually leads to UFC CEO Dana White cutting a fighter from the promotion.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Kattar after his latest Octagon setback.