Calvin Kattar still going through concussion protocols following war with Max Holloway
UFC featherweight contender Calvin Kattar is still going through concussion protocols three months after his war with Max Holloway.
The UFC on ABC card in early January featured one of the most lopsided fights in UFC history as Holloway teed off on the durable Kattar for five rounds in one of the most prolonged beatings we have ever seen. Holloway unloaded everything including the kitchen sink on “The Boston Finisher,” but Kattar was able to tough it out and go the full five rounds. Still, he went on to lose in historic fashion as the judges scored the fight 50-43, 50-43, and 50-42 in favor of Holloway. It was a brutal fight and you knew that he would need time off after what he endured during it.
Three months following the fight against Holloway and Kattar is still not cleared for full training. UFC bantamweight contender Rob Font — Kattar’s teammate at New England Cartel — recently spoke to James Lynch and gave an update on the warrior. According to Font, the team is taking a very cautious approach with Kattar. In Font’s own words, the team is “babying” Kattar as he looks to rebound following the severe beating.
“He’s in and out (of the gym). He’s kind of still going through the concussion protocols. He’s not concussed but they’re just babying him right now. So they’re having him do a lot of like little hand-eye coordination things, balance drills. Stuff like that — boring, non-contact type of stuff. He’s been holding pads for me. They just went to Florida for his birthday,” Font said.
“He’s in and out. We’re trying to kick him out of the gym because he’s getting anxious. He’s kind of getting to that point where he wants to start moving around more. It’s like a little baby, we’re just trying to baby him right now. Like, ‘Slow down, you’ve got a lot of big fights, a busy year, just take time off and just hang out.’ But it’s hard, especially coming off of a loss. You want to get back and you want to fix everything you thought you messed up, and right now we can’t. So it’s one of those things where I want him back in the gym, but he shouldn’t be in the gym, so we’re trying to think of ways to keep him active inside the gym.”
Font also noted that Kattar is targeting a return in the fall or winter against a ranked opponent. But there’s no rush.
Who do you want to see Calvin Kattar fight when he returns to the Octagon later this year?
