After coming up short in his last three outings, Calvin Kattar returned to the Octagon on Saturday night for a scrap with streaking featherweight standout Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 102 co-main event.
Zalal walked into the bout having won three straight inside the Octagon, including a second-round arm-triangle choke against Jack Shore in his last outing in November. Meanwhile, Kattar has not seen his arm raised since a January 2022 win over Giga Chikadze, but ‘The Boston Finisher’ headed to The APEX determined to return to the win column and halt the Moroccan’s momentum.
Round 1
Zalal gets things started with a couple of stiff calf kicks to the lead leg of Kattar. Zalal goes high with a head kick as Kattar has struggled to get his offense going through the first minute of the fight. Zalal lands with a right hand. Kattar lands with a jab but eats another calf kick. Zalal sticks Kattar with a jab before getting back on his back foot and circling the cage. Kattar is struggling to chase down Kattar and land anything substantial.
Zalal connects with a step-in left. They exchange jabs, but Kattar’s appeared to have a little more on it. Kattar connects with another jab just before the horn.
Round 2
Zalal continues to fight behind his jab, tagging Kattar’s body before going back up top. Zalal shoots in for a single leg but quickly gives up on it. Zalal throws a knee that narrowly misses the head of his opponent. Zalal throws a stiff kick to the body before feeding Kattar another jab to the chin. Near the halfway point of the round, Kattar has thrown very little offense. Zalal shoots for another takedown, but like before, he quickly backs away when it appears Kattar has a beat on it.
Kattar connects with a front kick as we approach the final minute of the round. Zalal sticks him with another jab, but Kattar comes right back with a nice right hand. As the 10-second clacker sounds, Kattar appears to be growing frustrated as Zalal continues to dance around the cage wall through the end of the round.
Round 3
Almost certainly down 2-0 going into the third, Calvin Kattar begins to turn up the heat, chasing down Zalal and looking to land something big. That prompts Zalal to shoot for a takedown. He gets Kattar to the mat, but Kattar pops right back up and gets back to work. Zalal continues to stay on his bicycle, ducking and dodging everything Kattar throws at him.
Kattar swings big and lands a right hand with a little more than half a round to go. Kattar swings big again against the fence, but Zalal dodges and circles away. Kattar throws a combination, but can’t hit his target clean. Kattar lands with a right hand that sends Zalal reeling. Kattar nearly connects with another right against the fence as Zalal is content to just run away. Kattar throws an elbow and throws a desperation head kick, but Zalal gets away unscathed and the round ends with him likely on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Official Result: Youssef Zalal def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Check Out Highlights From Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 102:
Oficial, @moroccandevil45 derrota a Calvin Kattar por decisión unánime #UFCVegas102 pic.twitter.com/7Rs2zm9Oed
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) February 16, 2025
Youssef Zalal calls out Brian Ortega after his win over Calvin Kattar 👀🔥 #UFCVegas102pic.twitter.com/hZfLROoA74
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 16, 2025
