UFC 249: Calvin Kattar busts Jeremy Stephens open in emphatic KO win
- Kattar admits he was upset Stephens showed up 4.5 pounds overweight – ‘I don’t really like that’
- ‘But it’s tough not to show respect after an exchange like that, it was a good fight’
Calvin Kattar made a huge statement in the featherweight division after a bloody KO against Jeremy Stephens at UFC 249 on Saturday.
Kattar (21-4) knocked his opponent down with a piercing right elbow in the second round before splitting Stephens' (28-18, one no contest) head open with a left elbow on the ground. The referee waved off the fight as Kattar finished off with his ground-and-pound at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
“I was a little bit upset because he showed up five pounds overweight – I don't really like that s***,” the 32-year-old said, referring to Stephens being the only fighter on the UFC 249 card to miss weight.
“But it's tough after an exchange like that not to show him some respect. It was a good fight.”
Stephens had caused problems in the first round with a quick start and some vicious leg kicks. However, the striking of Kattar took over and Stephens walked into a textbook slicing elbow to the forehead.
“Everyone’s talking s*** about my leg kicks. So I worked on that a lot. I had a three-year lay-off before the UFC. I'm just scratching the surface. These featherweights don't know what's coming for them,” Kattar said.
Stephens also showed respect after some trash talk in the build-up to the fight, coming over during Kattar’s Octagon interview and praising him as a “stud”.
“Shout-out to boss man Dana White, he's keeping the fighters busy during this tough time. We can get through this together,” added Kattar, who is back on a win streak after losing to Zabit Magomedsharipov in November last year.
Stephens is now on a four-fight losing streak after losing to Yair Rodriguez, Magomedsharipov and Jose Aldo in the last year.
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