Calvin Kattar explains why he thought he defeated Josh Emmett at UFC Austin
UFC featherweight contender Calvin Kattar explained why he thought he defeated Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC Austin.
Kattar and Emmett won “Fight of the Night” for their all-out war in the main event of UFC Austin. In a night full of incredible MMA action, including plenty of highlight-reel knockouts, Kattar and Emmett stole the show in the headliner with an incredible back-and-forth five-round fight. It was a closely-contested match, but at the end of the five rounds, it was Emmett who took home the judges’ decision, with the judges scoring the bout 48-47, 47-48, and 48-47 in favor of Emmett.
Kattar, however, believes he did enough to win the fight, as do many media members and fans who watched the bout. Speaking on the ESPN+ post-fight show following his war with Emmett, Kattar explained why he believed that he was going to get his hand raised at the end of the 25 minutes.
“I just thought I was going to get my hand raised at the end of it. I didn’t care, we give a sh*t if it’s unanimous or a split. I thought I did enough to win the fight. Josh is a class act, a tough kid. Congrats to him and his team,” Kattar said (h/t MMAjunkie.com). “There was never a point I thought I could sit back, but I thought I was edging him out, especially the longer the fight went. The fifth round, I thought I took it. I know he wanted to stand in the center and bang but I mean, that’d be cool I guess if I wasn’t up in the fight, maybe. I thought I was landing the better shots, but I’m not a judge. It went the way it did, but I thought I did enough to win the fight.”
Ultimately, it was a close fight, and while Emmett got the nod from the judges, it shouldn’t be a loss that hurts Kattar much as far as the rankings go since it was such a closely-contested contest.
Who do you think deserved the decision in the main event of UFC Austin, Calvin Kattar or Josh Emmett?
