Calvin Kattar thinks he should have been the one fighting Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title.
Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) was edged out by Josh Emmett in their UFC on ESPN 37 headliner. It was a fight he thinks he won.
After he beat Kattar, Emmett was booked against Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title, which co-headlines UFC 284 on Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Kattar was matched up with Arnold Allen at UFC Fight Night 213, but was on the receiving end of another unfortunate outcome. In that fight, he tore his ACL in a TKO loss due to injury.
Now that he has to watch Emmett (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Rodriguez (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) fight while on the sidelines, Kattar says he likely won’t even tune in.
“I feel like I stand with the majority in thinking I should be in there that night, and it is what it is,” Kattar told MMA Junkie. “As far as being a fan watching that one, I might have to just get the update on what happens and not watch that one.”
According to Tipico Sportsbook, Rodriguez is a -190 favorite over Emmett, who’s a +160 underdog. Kattar thinks the odds are accurate.
“I see Yair being the slight favorite kind of overall everywhere, wherever the fight goes,” Kattar said. “But Emmett’s been in the game for a while. He’s a power puncher. He lands a big shot. Anything could happen. I feel like both guys have wrestling that’s – neither one of them’s got the advantage, I don’t think, in that.
“They’ve both got decent wrestling, so it’ll probably be a wash there. I think you give Yair the edge in the standup because he’s a little bit more dynamic with the strikes. But then again, Emmett’s got the power advantage maybe in that. So we just have to see how it plays out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 284.
