Dana White reacts to Calvin Kattar defeating Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 46: “The first fight of the year and a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate”

UFC president Dana White has praised the war between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze from UFC Vegas 46 last weekend.

On Saturday night, Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze put on an absolute clinic in the main event of the UFC’s first Fight Night card of the year. Both men put it all out on the line in the name of moving closer to a UFC featherweight title shot, and while Chikadze showed insane toughness, Kattar was the one who impressed the most as he bounced back from his devastating one-sided loss to Max Holloway last year.

Dana White, who loves to see a main event battle for the ages more than anyone else, was full of praise in the post-fight press conference.

“That was an absolute war,” White said.

“The first fight of the year and a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate already. That’s the way to start it. That’s the way to start the year. It was incredible. And you know what’s funny … it’s almost like everybody forgot about Calvin Kattar [after] Max Holloway. You know what I mean? A lot of people were counting him out tonight — and he looked unbelievable.”

“That guy’s [Kattar] an absolute dog, man,” White said. “Now if you look at the fights that he’s had in the UFC, but specifically now Holloway and Giga, he’s a special kind of guy. He’s a f*cking warrior, man.

“[Kattar] kept constant pressure on him, he stayed in his face, he kept moving him backwards, and it looked like Giga was out of it halfway through the second round.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

Do you agree with Dana White? What do you think is next for both Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze in the featherweight division? Let us know your thoughts on their respective futures down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!