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The wait is finally over as the UFC kicks off the year this weekend (16 January 2021) with an electric lineup of fights headlined by a massive clash between former featherweight champion Max Holloway and top contender Calvin Kattar.
The January 16 Fight Island event also features an enticing middleweight encounter between fight game veterans Carlos Condit and Matt Brown as the co-main event.
The promotion will set the ball rolling this new year with a three-event stint at the Etihad Arena in Yas Islands, Abu Dhabi. UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar is the first of the three events which will be capped off with the first pay-per-view of 2021, UFC 257 on January 23.
Other fights on the main card include a welterweight duel between the returning Santiago Ponzinibbio and Li Jingliang; a middleweight matchup between the prolific Joaquin Buckley and Alessio Di Chirico; and capped off by another middleweight clash between Punahele Soriano and Dusko Todorovic.
Check out the full card for UFC on ABC: Holloway vs Kattar below:
Main Card
Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar (featherweight)
Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit (welterweight)
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Li Jingliang (welterweight)
Joaquin Buckley vs. Alessio Di Chirico (middleweight)
Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic (middleweight)
Preliminary Card
Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov (middleweight)
Wu Yanan vs. Joselyne Edwards (women's bantamweight)
Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese (middleweight)
Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa (heavyweight)
Nik Lentz vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)
David Zawada vs. Ramazan Emeev (welterweight)
Sarah Moras vs. Vanessa Melo (women's bantamweight)
Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo (featherweight)
Preview of UFC on ABC: Holloway vs Kattar main event
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will step inside the Octagon looking to bounce back from a two-fight losing skid when he fights Calvin Kattar in the main event on Saturday. In his last two fights, Holloway suffered back to back decision losses in a pair of fights against reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski.
A win against a top contender like Kattar on Saturday will put Holloway in a prime position to challenge Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title once more. Especially since many analysts and media outlets scored his second fight against Volkanovski for the Hawaiian.
Calvin Kattar will be looking to book himself a shot at the much-coveted 145 lbs strap when he takes on Holloway this weekend. The Boston Finisher has won four out of his last five fights inside the octagon. Three of his four wins have come by way of knockout.
Expect a cracker of a main event this Saturday when Kattar and Holloway lock horns at the Fight island, with both guys vying to reach the summit of the UFC featherweight division.
