The UFC kicks off its 2021 lead with a bang Saturday.
UFC on ABC 1 is the return of the promotion to network television after a two-year absence since leaving former broadcast partner FOX Sports. This is the first of three meetings in eight days in Abu Dhabi. And the first 2021 UFC main event looks on paper like a potential children’s burner, as former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway takes on fast-rising Bostonian Calvin Kattar in a five-round dish.
UFC on ABC 1 takes place on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main map is broadcast on ABC and streams on ESPN + following the prediction on ESPN +.
Without emphasis, there are then five burning questions that the UFC must answer on ABC 1.
How will Max Holloway react at an important crossroads?
Max Holloway
Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) has lost three of his last four fights, but not all 1-3 stretches are equal.
At UFC 236, Holloway, as a featherweight champion, gained weight and endured five rounds before losing a decision against Dustin Poirier in an interim title fight. At UFC 240, he defeated Frankie Edgar in a title defense. At UFC 245, he suffered a clear loss to Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision. At UFC 251, Volkanovski won a very controversial decision, as many – including this reporter – felt that Holloway had won the battle.
A 1-3 under these circumstances, to fight the best competition in the world, to take the distance in every fight and probably be robbed in one, is completely different from a fighter who loses three out of four and looks like they is done.
But that still does not alleviate the cold facts of the situation: Volkanovski is still the champion; Holloway has a long way to go as long as this is the case, and the competition is not getting any easier. Kattar (22-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is crying and as such, Holloway’s first untitled fight since 2016 should serve as a yardstick to determine if he will make another comeback.
Can Calvin Kattar make his most definitive statement?
It may seem like Kattar has been an emerging prospect appearing on the scene for the past few years. After all, we were only three-and-a-half years removed from his UFC debut when he scored a disturbing victory over Andre Fili at UFC 214.
But in reality, it was a long time coming for Kattar. This week, chatted on Twitter and points out that Kattar took part in the sub-card of the legendary Elite XC event on June 2008 on CBS, preceded by the late Kimbo Slice against James Thompson.
The Bostonian has been fighting professionally since 2007, three years before Holloway made his debut.
Some are placed on the fast track. Some come the hard way. Kattar’s career peaks at the right time, with enough experience to see and do everything, while at 32 he’s still young enough to be on top of his physical game.
Twelve years later he gets the chance to fight a world-class competitor like Holloway. And with that, the chance to prove that we had to pay closer attention from the beginning.
Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit arrives very late. Approximately?
Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown
Maybe you came together during the rise of Ronda Rousey and do not know what Matt Brown was like during his heyday.
Or maybe you started watching while Carlos Condit was on a losing streak of five fights and you were wondering what the fuss was about ‘The Natural Born Killer’.
If you missed their prime, you missed it. Condit (31-13 MMA, 8-9 UFC) was a championship fighter who never lost his skills for exciting roadside carnage. Brown (22-17 MMA, 15-11 UFC) never quite rose to Condit’s title level, but he took every last bit of his talent and supplemented it with a pure heart, which resulted in a UFC victory of seven fights from 2012- 14.
Along the way, Brown was presented against Condit as a dream fight. It was scheduled twice and dropped out both times.
Now it’s finally here. Brown has just turned 40. Condit becomes April 37. Both dealt with injuries. No one will run against a title again. But Condit won, and Brown won two of three. Condit is in the final fight of his UFC deal, and Brown has indicated it could be his last tango, so both have enough motivation.
Maybe this is not the battle it could have been a decade ago, but let’s just appreciate that this game is finally here and sit back and enjoy.
Can Santiago Ponzinibbio continue where he left off?
It was both a verdict and the culmination of a long journey: Santiago Ponzinibbio knocked out Neil Magny in the fourth round of their UFC Buenos Aires main event, an unforgettable moment in his hometown, his seventh consecutive victory, his second “Achievement of the Night ”in three fights, and a definitive statement that he had arrived in the top tier of the welterweight division.
The fight was held in November 2018, and it was the last time we saw Ponzinibbio (27-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) until this week. Injuries and misery to health, such as staph infection, put him off immediately after his greatest moment, and the division shifted quite a bit in his absence.
Will ring rust get in the way, or can Ponzinibbio continue where he left off? It’s really as simple as that for the Argentine, who faces a solid substitute for short notice in Li Jinliang (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on the main card of the evening.
Can Joaquin Buckley continue to build momentum?
Look, unless Joaquin Buckley becomes the next generation version of a leading Anderson Silva, we will probably see nothing closer to his amazing knockout blow from Impa Kasanganay.
But Buckley seems to be doing something more important in the long run: determining that he’s on track to become a legitimate rival in the middleweight division.
Buckley (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) turned from his viral highs in October and fought Jordan Wright at UFC 255 a month later, and this time he had the tone and patience to carry Wright and the old school grounds to use. and pounds to earn a second round of TKO.
Buckley has thus shown that he can do it in the flashy and grim way. Now he is back for his third fight in three months, taking on Alessio Di Chirico (12-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC). It may not be the battle that gets him to the top of the division, but three wins in three months is a great way to show that you are eager to prove that you are ready to climb that ladder and fast to climb.