Taking a look at the odds, pick, and prediction for the main event of UFC Austin between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.
The main event of UFC Austin features a banger of a featherweight matchup between Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. The two featherweights are looking for an opportunity to break through as title contenders and this is the right matchup. There are a few reasons to like this main event. Kattar comes in with a boxing style that uses a high-volume approach coupled with bog power that comes from him planting his feet. Emmett has a good boxing game himself that has seen him starch high-level opposition with his huge power. Five rounds of these two are exactly what you need to put an exclamation point on an event in Texas. These two men pack plenty of power and even more toughness. This fight has a lot of high stakes with Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski set to end their rivalry at UFC 276, leaving plenty of room for new contenders in the weight class.
Calvin Kattar recently reminded everyone that he was still a top contender at featherweight. The Boston-native took on Giga Chikadze and many expected him to get styled on with the Georgian announcing himself as a top contender. Spoiler alert, the opposite happened. Kattar reminded everyone just how good his striking is and put a beatdown on Chikadze for five rounds. It was the perfect performance to make sure everyone forgot about the Max Holloway fight. Kattar has a primarily boxing style that sees his power come through when he plants his feet. He has good wrestling but he doesn't use it if it's not needed. He has nasty elbows in his arsenal that can be seen in all their glory in the fights with Jeremy Stephens and Chikadze. He'll be hoping to withstand Josh Emmett's power and beat him on the feet with his volume.
Josh Emmett broke through in the featherweight division when he scored a huge knockout over Ricardo Lamas back in December 2017. Since then, his power has been a problem for just about everyone and his wrestling has been a huge asset. Emmett has real power in his fists, featherweight doesn't see many knockouts where fighters go out cold. The California native doesn't rely on knockouts to get the win though, his style is based on his wrestling paired with his boxing to force opponents to respect him. Injuries have been a big problem throughout his career, so it's caused him to be inactive for long periods of time. He's currently on a sneaky four-fight win streak that includes big wins over Dan Ige and Michael Johnson. He'll be looking to continue his rise to the top by stopping Calvin Kattar at UFC Austin.
Here are the UFC Austin odds, featuring our Calvin Kattar-Josh Emmett prediction, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Austin Odds: Calvin Kattar-Josh Emmett Odds
Calvin Kattar (-250)
Josh Emmett (+198)
Over 4.5 rounds (-132)
Under 4.5 rounds (+104)
How Calvin Kattar Wins The Fight At UFC Austin
Calvin Kattar isn't going to go out, double leg Josh Emmett, and grind him out for a boring decision. That's why the fans love him. The Boston-native is going to go with a primarily boxing-based game plan that will most likely utilize elbows. The jab is going to be a factor as he'll want to keep the shorter man on the outside and avoid any big counters. His durability will allow him to be more confident in his striking and land heavy shots on Emmett. He'll have to make sure he doesn't absorb too much damage as that will become a problem against a power puncher. Kattar has the potential to put Emmett out in the later rounds with his power and volume leading to many opportunities for the finish. He may have to survive a few scary moments himself but it will be enough to get things done with a late TKO in the later rounds.
How Josh Emmett Wins The Fight At UFC Austin
The easy answer is Josh Emmett lands a counter overhand right to knock out Calvin Kattar. MMA is not that simple though. Emmett is going to have to pick his moments and counter the high-volume approach of Kattar. The wrestling is going to play a factor as Emmett has the slightly better wrestling game and could land takedowns to tire out his opponents and win rounds. To win things on the feet, Emmett is going to have apply a southpaw stance, something that's given Kattar problems in the past. Making every punch count and not over-relying on his power will give him the best chance to earn the victory. The California native will most likely find a big shot that drops Kattar and sees him swarm to earn the TKO finish that sees him get his hand raised in the main event of UFC Austin.
Final Calvin Kattar-Josh Emmett Prediction & Pick
This is a tough fight to predict considering how many variables there are for both men. Will Calvin Kattar put on a striking clinic? Will Josh Emmett be able to regularly land his power shots? That's what makes a fight like this tough to predict. Kattar will most likely take control early and find his rhythm using his jab and movement. Emmett will be looking to find opportunities to get inside and land some big counters. The style seems to favor Kattar as he's comfortable going five rounds and will be landing the most shots. His elbows are going to play a big factor and Emmett has had a problem with them in the past. Kattar is going to have to survive some big moments and Emmett's wrestling is going to be the unknown factor. The most likely outcome is the Boston fighter finds the knockout in the later rounds to give Boston fans something to cheer for after the Celtics' disappointing championship run.
Final Calvin Kattar-Josh Emmett Pick: Calvin Kattar wins by knockout in the fourth round.
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