The beating that Calvin
Kattar absorbed in the
UFC on ABC 1 headliner is one that could potentially take years
off a fighter’s career.
While a lesser athlete might have wilted earlier, Kattar made it
until the final horn against Max
Holloway on Saturday, absorbing a whopping 445 significant
strikes in the process. Holloway was in peak form in the
featherweight bout, as he relentlessly attacked with punching
combinations to the head and body, knees, kicks and elbows. On a
couple occasions, Kattar appeared to be on the verge of being
stopped, but each time, he showed just enough fight for referee
Herb
Dean to allow the bout to continue.
If it were up to UFC president Dana White, Kattar wouldn’t have
been allowed to showcase his toughness for as long as he did. As it
was, the Massachusetts native was ushered straight to a local
hospital following the conclusion of the bout.
“I thought the fight should have been stopped in the fourth round,”
White said at the UFC on ABC 1 post-fight press conference. “I was
freaking out a little bit. I said [to his coaches], he’s not going
to stop and talk to anybody. We’re going to take him straight to
the ambulance and send him to the hospital.
“Then I went over to him and I said ‘you’re so tough, what an
unbelievable performance’ and he said ‘That’s not what I want to be
known for.’ He goes, ‘But I’m not going to back down to anybody’
and I said we’re going to send you straight to the hospital right
now. I don’t want you talking to anybody or doing anything. He
started laughing and thought that was funny. He’s in good spirits,
his head is clear.”
Though White might have halted the fight before the final horn, he
said that he respected Dean’s judgment in this instance.
“I’m not the ref,” White said. “Herb Dean
tonight was the guy who makes that decision. I thought it should
have been stopped in the fourth round. I hate to see a kid continue
to take punishment like that. But he seems to be OK, and as long as
he’s OK, that’s the ref’s job, not mine.”
White admitted that speaking with Kattar before the fighter left
the venue to be treated put his mind at ease somewhat.
“Our interaction made me feel better,” White said. “All’s good and
everything I’m hearing is good so far. Those kinds of fights freak
me out.
“He was completely coherent, clear, speaking perfectly. But we got
him right in an ambulance and have him going to get checked
out.”