Dana White confirms Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar winner could earn title shot

By Adam Martin - January 15, 2021

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of Saturday’s main event between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar could earn a title shot.

Dana White, UFC, Nick Diaz, Miguel Baeza

Holloway and Kattar meet in the five-round headliner of UFC on ABC 1 in a battle between the No. 1 and No. 6 ranked fighters, respectively, at 145lbs. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to take on Brian Ortega in his next title defense, but there are plenty of other contenders hot on his trails. According to White, both Holloway and Kattar will have the opportunity to earn the No. 1 contender spot in the featherweight division with a big win on Saturday.

Speaking to UFC Arabia’s Farah Hannoun, White explained what a win for both Holloway and Kattar at UFC on ABC 1 will do for both of them going forward.

“I think your back’s always against the wall when you’re the champion or the No. 1 contender. I mean, you’re the two guys that everybody coming for. I know that Max feels like he won that last fight (with Volkanovski at UFC 251), and a lot of other people think he did, too. So he’s gotta go out there tomorrow night and put a stamp on this thing and show everybody that he is the No. 1 guy in the world and he’s ready to fight Volkanovski again,” White said.

“(As for Kattar) a win over Max puts him in a really good position. So yeah, if he beats Max, he’s probably next in line.”

White also mentioned that the UFC does not have a date yet for the Volkanovski vs. Ortega fight, though he did confirm that’s the UFC’s plan for the next fight. But then again, that fight isn’t official yet. So if either Holloway or Kattar goes out there and puts on a show, there’s always the chance they could jump in line for the title shot.

Who do you want to see Dana White give the next featherweight title shot to next?


Topics:

Calvin Kattar Max Holloway UFC