Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 102, we are going to see a featherweight matchup between two contenders heading in the opposite direction. Calvin Kattar (23-8) will look to get back on track as he takes on a contender who many have their eyes on this year in Youssef Zalal (16-5-1).
Starting with Kattar, he at one point looked like a guy who could challenge for featherweight gold. Kattar went 7-3 in his first ten UFC fights with the only losses being to Renato Moicano, Zabit Magomedsharipov, and Max Holloway. However, after his sensational win against Giga Chikadze in January 2022, he’s lost three in a row and he’s dealt with injuries.
While he’s sliding at the moment, Zalal is surging. Zalal was 10-2 back in 2020 before he ran into Ilia Topuria in the UFC. The loss to Topuria started a four-fight winless streak that saw him get cut. However, after three first round wins on the regional scene, he earned another shot. Since coming back, he’s been incredible going 3-0 with three stoppages.
UFC Vegas 102 Prediction
Since making his return to the octagon, Zalal has looked like a different fighter. There is a different level of aggression with him and he’s non-stop in terms of moving forward. He’s been overwhelming fighters with volume and chaining in his wrestling. This is not a great combination for Calvin Kattar.
Kattar has some of the best boxing in the division, but he struggles with volume heavy wrestlers. Guys who do not give him the space to operate give him problems and Kattar doesn’t have great wrestling defense. Kattar is also not the type of guy to put you out with one shot. He has decent power but it’s not fight stopping like Ilia Topuria or Josh Emmett.
I think Youssef Zalal is heading towards his fourth straight UFC win tomorrow night. I just don’t think Kattar will be able to keep this fight standing enough to win a decision. I’m going to say that Kattar gets it to the scorecards, but I don’t see this one being that close.
Prediction: Youssef Zalal by Decision