UFC Vegas 63 Beforemath: Time for a banger
Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen are set to face off in what could become an instant classic
So I didn’t get to watch UFC 280. Wife had a baby and it was a girl. So no Aftermath on that. In the throes of becoming a new father, it’s actually good to be back and write about some fights. And this weekend we have a great main event with some cool fights on the undercard. But Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen are set to square off in one of the most fan-friendly stylistic matchups one could possibly imagine. So, withouth further ado, it’s time for UFC Vegas 63 Beforemath featuring Calvin Kattar and Arnold Allen!
UFC Vegas 63 Tale of the Tape
Coming into UFC Vegas 63, Calvin Kattar is so far away from a title shot and now he has to play gatekeeper to the gatekeeper. At the start of the pandemic, Kattar was on the receiving end of a one sided ass whoopin’ against Max Holloway. That’s where Holloway’s “I’m the best boxer in the UFC, baby!” quip came from. Kattar came out of that fight and decided, rightly so, to take some time off. He took off nearly a year to the day and returned to a new challenger looking to make his way to a title shot: Giga Chikadze.
I famously predicted the kickboxer would do better and win this fight with Chikadze being said kickboxer. That didn’t happen. Kattar battered Chikadze completing the trickle down ass whooping economics (Alexander Volkanovski edition) meme I’ve posted above. After such a great showing, Kattar found himself in yet another war, this time with Josh Emmett. It was a tightly fought battle but Emmett came out the victor via split decision. Now, Calvin Kattar looks to return to the win column with a tough matchup in front of him.
That matchup is the surging Arnold Allen who is undefeated in the UFC. Since coming to the UFC, Allen has a 9-0 record. His wins include some really good names: Makwan Amirikhani, Mads Burnell, Gilbert Milendez, Nik Lentz, Sodiq Yusuff and Dan Hooker. Those names aren’t the same caliber of fighter that Kattar has fought but they still make up a very impressive resume.
After topping fellow prospect Sodiq Yusuff in a close fight, Allen took on Dan Hooker in his return to featherweight and finished the Aussie native. In that fight, Hooker was caught by one of Allen’s straight punches and Allen went bezerk. Now, Arnold Allen comes into UFC Vegas 63 looking to find his way to the top of the division and gain access to names like Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and eventually Alexander Volkanovski.
Calvin Kattar Got that Dog In Him
I know that meme is already dead, no need to make fun of me for it. But if there was a style that describes Calvin Kattar it is the dog in him. He’s game any time, anywhere. His resume speaks for itself. He’s incredibly durable and tough to put away and that might work to his advantage at UFC Vegas 63. Arnold Allen fights insanely fast paced and has some good skills. But Kattar, now 34, is the grizzly old veteran with an expierence advantage at the top of mixed martial arts.
With this being a main event, Calvin Kattar will have that deep water expierence to take with him against Allen. His last four fights against Emmett, Chikadze, Holloway and Dan Ige were all five round main events and they all went five rounds. In those fights, Kattar has dealt some damage, he’s taken some damage, and he’s been in close wars. This, alone, can take a fighter who has been tested and give him a built in advantage against a young opponent looking to make a come up off of the veteran.
For Kattar, I want to see him zap the gas tank of Arnold Allen early and often. Allen is a fast and mobile fighter who will seek and destroy when his opponent is hurt. Calvin Kattar and his camp need to prioritize the body early and get Allen suffering in there as soon as possible. Wrestling might be another key for Kattar as well. Allen tends to over commit sometimes and Kattar can take an advantage of that to get the fight to the ground, slow down the overzealous Allen and tire him out. Much like the prediction with Emmett and Chikadze, Kattar can come on strong in the fourth and fifth rounds and really deal out some damage for his opponent who has not been in deep waters like these before.
For Kattar, I would be weary of a war again. He’s had some tough fights in his last three and eventually, the chin fades, leaving the fighter out to dry and putting him in harm’s way. Play this one close to the chest, Calvin Kattar, let’s preserve your brain a bit.
Arnold Allen: Slow It Down
Arnold Allen is a very fun fighter, sure. But he is also a wild, wild fighter. Against Hooker we saw him over persuing a knockout after he stunned Hooker and get rocked. If he’s not careful, Kattar will do that to him more than once and could possibly put him away. This is not the type of fight Allen wants to get too wild in.
But the problem is, that’s always how Arnold Allen fights. He’s light on his feet, he fires off crisp 1-2’s and punishes his opponents for putting themselves out of position. Once he hurts his opponents, it’s all in for the kill. Allen goes all out, raining heymakers down on his opponents and, as we saw with Hooker, leaving himself open to counter.
Neither Allen nor Kattar move their head particularly well. But at least Kattar has a decent high guard that can absorb some of the damage. Allen will have to be very cognizant of this and Kattar’s threat to the body, a mean lead hook that can cripple anyone in the divison. Arnold Allen will have to look to be light on his feet, coming in and out of range, keeping Kattar, who also never steps back, whiffing and missing on his big blows. The straight punches for Arnold Allen will be there. But his other various strikes, a teep to the face, low kick among others, will also have to be taken out the toolbox this fight if he wants to get out with a win against Kattar at UFC Vegas 63.
Last thing for Arnold Allen is going to be patience. We have seen Calvin Kattar battered and beat to a pulp before but he’s never been knocked out. Allen isn’t a particularly prolific finisher either, having only three since joining the UFC (2 of those were submissions). When he hurts Kattar, and it’s liable to happen, he should not go for the kill, instead he needs to know that another shot like this will present itself and he will have the skills to hurt his opponent when that time does come around again. If he goes for the kill as Kattar is hurt, Allen will absolutely punch himself out and allow Kattar to claw his way back into this fight. Arnold Allen needs to show restraint. That’s what is most important in this fight.
All in all, UFC Vegas 63 has some great fights on it. If you’re looking for others to watch, Dustin Jacoby and Khalil Rountree is an exceedingly violent fight. Chase Hooper is taking on a tough Steve Garcia. And Carlos Mota, the UFC’s best new signing, is taking on Cody Durden.
Stay violent, everyone.