Calvin Kattar is down, but definitely not out.
The New England resident suffered a unanimous decision loss to Max Holloway in a Fight of the Night effort as the main event at UFC Fight Island 7 in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.
Despite absorbing more than 400 important attacks over five rounds, Kattar refused to leave and continued to swing to the former featherweight champion until the last bell. Subsequently, Uana President Dana White insisted that Kattar be rushed to a medical facility for precautionary measures rather than hold on to speak to the media after the fight.
Now, for the first time since Saturday, Kattar broke his silence with a statement issued on Instagram.
“Success in life comes when you just refuse to give up,” Kattar wrote. ‘With such strong goals that obstacles, failure and loss only serve as motivation.
‘He helps Max earn a hell of a fight. He deserves all the praise. Grateful for my team’s dedication to this fight. On the following. There is no stopping the man who does not stop. ‘
Kattar certainly deserves a lot of praise for his unwillingness to wither amid the tremendous pressure from Holloway, who launched the outputs and strikes, both setting new records in the UFC octagon.
While coming short on the scorecards, Kattar constantly tried to return while launching shots at Holloway during the rare moments when the Hawaiian did not move forward with five and six hitting combinations.
Eventually, Kattar’s victory came to an end with two wins, but he left the octagon with Holloway’s respect and the admiration of fans around the world who praised him for his toughness to survive that kind of attack for five rounds.
Kattar will go home with an extra $ 50,000 bonus for his share of the Fight of the Night, as he wants to bounce back from this loss when he finally returns to action.