Via Instagram (@tyson_chartier)
Tyson Chartier speaks on Calvin Kattar ahead of Ige bout, speaks on New England Cartel
Watch interview with Tyson Chartier above
TopGame management, ‘New England Cartel’ has never been stronger.
Tyson Chartier coaches and manages some of the best the New England mixed martial arts scene has in its arsenal. One of those members of TopGame Management is featherweight contender and Massachusetts native, Calvin Kattar. Now his third time coaching a fighter during the coronavirus pandemic with the UFC, Chartier was quick to praise the promotion for their care for the fighters and teams on the cards.
“You see the differences from 249 to now. They keep upping their game,” Chartier exclaimed. “We will all be tested five times by fight night for this fight, at 249 we were tested twice by fight night. The UFC is giving us an opportunity that we want and we are grateful for that.”
Kattar is coming off of a massive win over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 with a vicious elbow knockout. Now ranked number six in the deep featherweight division, Kattar is not about to sit around and wait for an opening. Set to headline fight night on “Fight Island,” he meets #11 ranked contender Dan Ige, on a six fight win streak.
“Our philosophy is to always double down and go all in,” Chartier told MyMMANews. “Once alot of guys crack that top five area they sit and wait, that’s not us, we are going to bet on ourselves. We know there is risk in this.”
Kattar currently sits at six in the top 15 of the division, Ige at eleven. While Chartier knows Kattar, himself and the rest of the team are not overlooking Ige, as a manager you are always looking for what is next. A name directly in front of Kattar at five is Yair Rodriguez, the most recent wins for both fighters is Jeremy Stephens, Kattar in more dominant fashion. An interesting rematch could be in the works with Zabit Magomedsharpov (ranked 2nd in FW) and Kattar. The two were set to face-off at UFC Boston, but due to injury the fight was moved from Kattar’s backyard to Zabit’s. In a main event bout that only lasted three rounds, Zabit won via decision, but it was clear Kattar was the more dangerous fighter as the fight went late.
“We definitely would do a five round fight with Zabit. A lot of people are avoiding him, we definitely want that one” Chartier told MyMMANews. “He has a pretty smart team around him, I think they know that be pretty stupid on their end. I don’t see them accepting that fight.”
While focusing in on Kattar, who takes the cage in just over a week (Wednesday July 15th), Chartier spoke on a few other members of the New England Cartel, including top ranked bantamweight Rob Font & former UFC standout Kyle Bochniak.
“Rob is healing up well, ACL reconstruction happened in January. The staff is very happy with his progression,” Chartier told MyMMANews. “We are hopeful for late fall for a return, in September he should be back to training 100%, all signs point to a fight by the end of the year for Font.”
Tyson Chartier is one of the best in New England at what he and his team does. That is very apparent with the names surrounding not only the UFC or other major promotions but the regional scene in New England. The mixed martial arts scene has never been stronger in the region, and Chartier is part of that success. The New England Cartel.
“We are taking advantage of the growth of this sport overall. I build camps around these fighters and look for fighters on the management side, the next Font or Kattar,” Chartier emphasized. “It has worked for us, you don’t always need a mega-camp. I’m proud of what we are doing.”
Tune in on Fight Island, Wednesday July 11th as Calvin Kattar looks to continue his strive for gold as the main event.
