Sherdog’s 2021 Beatdown of the Year

It can often be predicted when beatdowns will occur. Sometimes, they are products of mismatches—a top fighter going against an opponent who has no business sharing the cage with him. At others, they can be attributed to two specialists going against each other with vastly different skills, like a ground stylist being unable to find a takedown and getting pieced up on the feet for three, four or five straight rounds.

However, that predictability has exceptions, which is exactly what makes Sherdog’s 2021 “Beatdown of the Year” so impressive. Heading into UFC on ABC 1 on Jan. 16, most fans and journalists expected a competitive main event between former champion Max Holloway and rising contender Calvin Kattar at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Both men were ranked in the Top 10 at 145 pounds, only a few spots apart. Instead, Holloway put down one of the most one-sided blowouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

While Holloway’s volume striking was beautifully on full display during the match, credit has to be given to Kattar’s incredible toughness and ability to sustain punishment. “The Boston Finisher” never gave up and always tried to fire back despite being on the receiving end of 445 significant strikes. By the time it was over, the judges scored it 50-43, 50-43 and 50-42. Such lopsided marks are rarely seen inside the Octagon.

Kattar had his moments in the first round, only to be soundly outstruck by the former champion. Holloway landed 56 punches across the first five minutes—his lowest total for any round during the bout. It was just an appetizer for the beating that was to come. Holloway started to really dish out the punishment in Round 2, where he attacked the body with knees and punches, slowing his opponent further. He outstruck Kattar by an 89-20 margin in the second period.

Punches, backfists, knees and kicks kept flowing out of Holloway, with 26% of his attempts going to the body. It all resulted in a stylish demolition of Kattar, who was known as a dangerous boxer in his own right. Holloway connected with 75 strikes in Round 3, then put together a hellacious fourth period that saw him outland Kattar by a 141-34 count. Despite the mounting punishment, Kattar refused to give in and continued to compete long after it became clear the night was not going to belong to him.

The final round was every bit as lopsided as the previous four, with Holloway landing 84 strikes and absorbing only 26 in return. It served as the exclamation point on a performance that announced to the world that the Hawaiian was far from finished as a serious contender at 145 pounds. Holloway’s 445 significant strikes landed bested his previous UFC record of 290, set against Brian Ortega in 2018.

The 2021 “Beatdown of the Year” was one for the memory bank, and the fact that it resulted from a showdown between a pair of Top 10 fighters made the achievement all the more impressive for Holloway. He followed the performance by connecting on 230 significant strikes in a unanimous decision over Yair Rodriguez in November, perhaps setting the stage for a trilogy with reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski—the Australian owns a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head series—sometime in 2022.