Featherweight prospect Calvin Kattar made it a clean sweep for the Massachusetts’ contingent at UFC 220 Saturday night, as the Methuen native stopped previously unbeaten Shane Burgos in the third round of their bout at TD Garden.
Burgos was the aggressor throughout the first round, but it was Kattar’s jabs and quick counters that controlled the frame and reddened his opponent’s face. In the second, Burgos kept the pressure on, but this time, he began to break his foe down with hard punches to the body and kicks to the leg, evening the score on the cards. The third was all Kattar, though, as he drilled Burgos with a right that staggered him, then followed with two uppercuts that put the New Yorker on the deck. A follow-up surge from Kattar put an end to the fight, with referee Dan Miragliotta stepping in 32 seconds into the final round.
With the win, Kattar moves to 18-2. Burgos falls to 10-1.
VILLANTE vs BARROSO
Long Island light heavyweight Gian Villante broke a two-fight losing streak, winning a three-round split decision over Brazil’s Francimar Barroso.
The No. 15-ranked Villante (16-9) landed several hard shots early in round one, but after taking those blows, Barroso (19-7, 1 NC) got in the scoring column himself with thudding kicks to the leg, making it a closer round.
After the crowd got restless late in round one, the 205-pounders began trading in the second, Villante holding the edge in the exchanges until an inadvertent low kick brought a momentary halt to the action. And while Barroso again did good work with his leg kicks, Villante’s busier attack kept him in the lead.
The two continued to fight at a measured pace in the third, Villante leading and Barroso trying to counter, but the lack of urgency from Barroso left him on the short end of the verdict, as Villante took the nod by scores of 30-27 twice and 28-29.
FONT vs ALMEIDA
Woburn’s Rob Font made the 15-minute trip from his home to TD Garden more than worth it in the bantamweight opener, as he knocked out Thomas Almeida in the second round.
Almeida’s striking was smooth and technical in the first round, and while Font was competitive and got some shots in, it was the Brazilian who controlled much of the frame.
Font took little time taking over in round two, as he landed a hard 1-2 and then followed it up with a knockdown that had Almeida in trouble. Almeida shook off the effects of the knockdown and Font stayed cool, adding to his point total with a pair of takedowns, but it was a kick that put the capper on the bout, as Font drilled his foe with a right kick to the head followed by a series of uppercuts that brought in referee Herb Dean to stop the bout at 2:24 of the6 second stanza.
With the win, the No. 14-Font moves to 15-3. The No. 10-ranked Almeida falls to 22-3.
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