“I felt some guys I used to wrestling against in high school and lose…couldn’t take a punch. They weren’t scrappy like me”. This is how my interview with Calvin Kattar started off when I asked him how he was drawn into the sport of mixed martial arts. He was also lured in by watching his sisters friend David George fight who now runs the Combat Zone promotion out of New Hampshire.
If you’ve seen any of Kattar’s fights (youtube them) you’ll know what he means when he says he’s scrappy. Displaying fast hands and knockout power Calvin has won four of his six fights via TKO and also demonstrated the ability to submit opponents; his two other victories coming via submission.
On June 27th the highly touted Kattar(6-1) steps into the ring for the WCF and faces off against Rodrigo Almeida (BMAC-Boston) in a 155lb lightweight battle with possible title ramifications. Their fight will serve as the nights Co-Main event.
Fighting out of Derry, NH and training with Premier Martial Arts, Kattar is no stranger to fighting on a big stage. At the age of just 20, he was called upon to fight on the undercard of Elite-xc’s “Primetime” card. He squared off against journeyman James “Binky” Jones; a man 18yrs his elder. Although Kattar would go on to lose the fight, he saw it as a chance to focus on the positive and gain from the experience.
A week leading up to the Jones fight, Calvin had the opportunity to train with Cesar Gracie. When asked what he took from training with Cesar Gracie and the Diaz brothers (Nick and Nate) he said. “It showed me how hard they train and the understanding of what I need to do, to get to that level”.
For his upcoming fight with Rodrigo(3-0), Kattar traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee and trained at the Premier Martial Arts headquarters with fighters such as Matt Traylor and Rafaello Olivera who helped shore up his ground game.
Now back in Derry, NH and the fight fast approaching, Kattar is very confident he can stand and trade with the very dangerous Almeida. “He hasn’t fought anyone with my hands…I see holes in his game”.
I asked him what it was like fighting for one of the East Coast more popular promotions, the WCF, Calvin replied. “They treat their fighters really good, I love fighting for them”.
What’s next in store for the up and coming New Englander after his June 27th bout?
“I don’t plan fights ahead of fights. I’m focused solely on him(Rodrigo)”.
In less than 10 days we’ll find out just how focused Kattar really is.
Tickets to the June 27th at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. can be purchased at http://www.wcffighting.com/
