Josh Emmett snatches away a controversial decision against Calvin Kattar after a 5 round slugfest at UFC Austin

Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett will be walking into their bouts at UFC Fight Night: Austin with all the hype riding behind them. The two featherweights who are keenly eying a title shot once things clear up between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski will get their chance to make a statement in their main event bout and stand out among the shark tank that is featherweight.

Emmett who is riding a five-fight win streak at featherweight will face off against Kattar who returned to a triumphant performance against a top prospect in Giga Chikadze after suffering a beatdown at the hands of Holloway in January of 2021. With a win Emmett will rise to the top 5 of featherweight, making a career resurgence at 37 years of age while a win for Calvin Kattar might out him just one bout away from title contention.

At 34, Kattar walks in with a record of 23-5, while Emmett at 37 walks in with a record of 17-2 with a two-inch reach deficit against Calvin Kattar

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Round-by-round analysis of Josh Emmett vs Calvin Kattar

Round 1

The fight starts with the underdog, Emmett on the backfoot moving around and looking for openings to enter the pocket and neutralize the reach on Kattar. Kattar tries to reach out to Emmett with jabs and strikes that the 37-year-old comfortably slides out of. Kattar throws a heavy leg kick that gets checked by Josh. Josh now puts Kattar on the backfoot and is able to land a few strikes that put Kattar off-balance with him slipping against the cage.

Emmett tried to enter with a jab followed by a right hook that gets blocked by the high guard of Kattar. Emmett suffers a cut to the eyebrow region thanks to Kattar’s constant jabs trying to find the range. Emmett tries to shoot for a takedown at the 10-second mark that Kattar is able to defend however Emmett connects with an elbow during the break bringing round 1 to a close

Round 2

Kattar stars with a long jab that misses the mark but is still able to keep Emmett on the backfoot. Emmett connects with the harder strikes in small numbers but Kattar has the edge in volume. Emmett lands a hard body shot when Kattar tries to exit the pocket. Kattar continues throwing the jab, three in a row connect. Kattar enters the pocket with an elbow and exits on connection. Kattar misses with a jab and Emmett throws a heavy right hook that Kattar manages to slip out of. Emmett connects with a 4-punch flurry at the 30-second mark.

Round 3

Round 3 starts with heavy hands from Emmett that directly put Calvin on the backfoot, Emmett is still showing signs of damage thanks to the cut caused by Calvin’s constant jabs. Emmett starts having more success landing in the pocket and lands some heavy shots on the break. Emmett lands another 3 punch combination in the pocket.

Kattar continues feinting and manages to put Josh Emmett on the backfoot however is unsuccessful in finding the right shots while Emmett gains confidence and finds the range every time they enter the pocket. Emmett lands a heavy overhand right at the 40-second mark but Kattar seems unphased. Emmett continues landing first with a body shot then a jab to the face of Kattar. Emmett lands another right hook with 10 seconds left in the round.

Round 4

Round 4 starts with Calvin relying on his reach and jabs again while managing to slip out of Emmett’s big power punches. Both fighters try to land, Kattar to the face and Emmett to the body with both missing their target. Emmett lands a heavy right hook at the three-minute mark pushing away Kattar who looks for the clinch.

Kattar constantly feints with his jabs and tries to land occasional elbows finding success with a spinning elbow. Kattar lands a heavy hook that wobbles Emmett for the first time in the fight. Both fighters are cut and the damage is starting to show on the face of Kattar. The two enter a brawl in the closing seconds of the round with Emmett finding more success. The two butt heads at the sound of the buzzer.

Round 5

With the crowd on its feet, the two return to the middle of the octagon and start swinging wildly compared to the earlier rounds, Emmett’s reach forces him to enter the pocket every time he wants to land a meaningful strike, Emmett unsuccessfully tried to land a takedown. Kattar finds a short left hook while moving away from Emmett.

Kattar and Emmett continue trading shots albeit more cautiously than at the start of the round. Emmett lands a jab followed by one of the few high kicks in the fight. Emmett lands a right hook at the 1-minute mark that puts Kattar against the cage. The two end the fight with a flurry mixing it up with jabs, high kicks, and spinning elbows both fighters although few if any hit their target.

Results: Josh Emmett beats Calvin Kattar by split decision (48-47 47-48 48-47)

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