Athletes
Calvin Kattar | We’re On To Nashville
Featherweight Looks To Get Things Back On Track When He Faces Steve Garcia In Nashville
It may have been many years since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have walked the sidelines for the New England Patriots, but the mentality that the two shared is something that featherweight Calvin Kattar still idolizes and tries to replicate.
“We’re onto Cincinnati,” is what Belichick would always say in his press conference and in Kattar’s case, he is onto Nashville.
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Things haven’t been easy for Kattar, who has dropped four in a row, which included a TKO via injury against Arnold Allen back in 2022 when he tore his ACL. When he returned, he fell on the wrong side of things against former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and streaking contender Youssef Zalal.
Despite everything that he has faced up until this moment, Kattar is always focused on the present moment and the task ahead, which this time is Steve Garcia on Saturday night inside Bridgestone Arena.
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“Each time you step in there, you've got to kind of reset,” Kattar said. “Even off a win, I wouldn't really be focusing on the last fight. We got this one ahead of us and he's got my full attention.”
He has spent his last few camps in Montreal, training under Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym, alongside his long-time training partner and friend Rob Font, who is coming off a win earlier this year in Seattle. Even though the results may not have showed it in the Octagon, Kattar believes he is continuing to get better with the knowledge and talent that he gets to be around at Tristar.
“They do everything for a reason and they're very intelligent fighters. I think that's huge for the Fight IQ when you're stepping in there, especially me. A lot of times I go in there and let it go and it's kind of like controlled chaos. They pick and choose when to let it go, so they're really intelligent, the way they set up their training.”
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Kattar looks to get things back on track against an up and comer in the division who is on a five-fight win streak, all by way of finish. With Kattar sitting at No. 14 in the featherweight rankings, Garcia is hungry to steal the New Englander’s spot in the rankings and continue his ascent at 145 pounds. But Kattar isn’t planning on letting that happen this weekend.
“He's done what he has had to do with opponents,” Kattar said. “He's doing his thing right now. He's got a lot of momentum, and we both got some streaks going on in this fight and on Saturday, my plan is to go out and put an end to both of them.”
Having been in the UFC since 2017, the Massachusetts native has faced some of the best in the division, including an unforgettable fight against BMF champion Max Holloway. There’s something different about not only making it to this level, but staying here, and that experience of being inside the Octagon is what Kattar is bringing to matchup. And when people count him out, well, that’s when he shines the brightest.
“I feel like the higher up you climb, the harder it gets at each checkpoint, and you kind of reevaluate where you're at. For me, I think we're at a crossroads where he's on his way up and people might be counting me out because of my last performances, but, I think it's going to make for a hell of a fight because I don't see myself on my way out,” Kattar said. “I think I got something to prove. I got a chip on my shoulder, and that's usually when I perform at my best.”
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Getting his hand raised on Saturday night is the ultimate goal, and then the celebrations will begin.
“At the end of the day, just me getting my hand raised and then enjoying some Nashville fried chicken is what I'm looking forward to post-fight. I had it for Rob's and I never forget. Man, in the middle of the night I pulled out a piece of chicken from the fridge and it was still crunchy. I was blown away. I can't wait to get more fried chicken.”
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Teixeira took place live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on July 12, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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