UFC Fight Island 7 Main Card Odds and Predictions

The UFC heads back to Fight Island for a three-event trip to start 2021. On Saturday, UFC Fight 7 takes place at the Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. In the main event, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway looks to return to the winning column as he takes on Calvin Kattar in a five-round bout.

In the co-main event, the long-awaited showdown between fan favorites Carlos Condit and Matt Brown will finally happen after seven years. Meanwhile, Santiago Ponzinibbio returns from a two-year absence to take on Li Jingliang while Joaquin Buckley looks for a third straight KO win.

Let’s take a look at the bouts and make our predictions:

Max Holloway vs Calvin Kattar

Max Holloway is the former UFC featherweight champion and the no. 8 pound for pound fighter in the UFC. The 29-year old from Honolulu, Hawaii holds the longest winning streak in UFC featherweight history. But since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 for the lightweight title, he is just 1-2 with back to back losses to Alexander Volkanovski. Holloway is 5-11 tall with a reach of 69 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 21-6 with 10 knockouts and two wins via submission.

Calvin Kattar is the no. 6 ranked featherweight in the UFC. The 32-year old from Boston, Massachusetts fought for Combat Zone, Xtreme Championship Fight League, and CES before joining the UFC. The Boston Finisher is coming off back to back wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige. He is 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. His record stands at 22-4 with 11 knockouts and two submissions.

This fight will tell us what Max Holloway’s future holds. Since moving up to fight Dustin Poirier, Holloway has struggled and the big issue here is whether he still has the ability to fight at championship level or if he is already damaged. There are two ways this fight ends for me: one is Kattar landing a bomb that finishes Max and the other is Holloway outpointing him in a high-output striking affair. I expect to see Kattar enjoy some success in this fight but Max has never been dropped before, not by Conor McGregor nor Poirier. I’m one of those who felt he belt Volkanovski and I think he will take over after round three by pressuring Kattar.

Prediction: Max Holloway

Carlos Condit vs Matt Brown

Carlos Condit is the former interim UFC welterweight champion and the former WEC welterweight champion. The 36-year old has been fighting in the UFC since 2009 but after losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 154, he is just 3-7. He snapped a five-fight winning streak in his last fight by beating Court McGee last October. Condit is 6-1 tall with a reach of 75 ½ inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 31-13 with 15 knockouts and 13 wins via submission.

Matt Brown was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter 7 tournament. The 40-year old known as the Immortal has been with the UFC since 2008. Brown fought and lost to Robbie Lawler in a title eliminator in 2014. Including that loss, Brown is just 3-6 and is coming off a TKO loss to Miguel Baeza last May 2020. Brown is six feet tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 22-17 with 14 knockouts and six submissions.

This fight would’ve been much better had it happened in 2013 when these two were originally penciled to happen. This could very well be the last fight for one or both of these fighters. Both men are in the twilight of their careers so it’s hard to call this, really. Condit won his last bout but looked terrible in the five bouts before that. Brown is a fighter who takes risks, win, or lose. In his last bout, the Immortal showed that he still has the punching power. I think Brown can hurt Condit on the feet and will do enough damage to win on points.

Prediction: Matt Brown

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Li Jingliang

Santiago Ponzinibbio was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2. The 34-year old from La Plata, Argentina joined the UFC in 2013 and after going 2-2 to open his UFC career, he has won seven straight bouts. Ponzinibbio has not fought since November 2018. He is six feet tall with a reach of 73 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Ponzinibbio has a record of 27-3 with 15 knockouts and six submissions.

Li Jingliang is a former Legend Fighting Championship welterweight champion who joined the UFC in 2014. The 32-year old from Xinjiang, China opened his UFC career with a 6-2 record but is just 3-2 since. Jingliang is coming off a loss to Neil Magny last March. He has a record of 17-6 with seven knockouts and five submissions. Jingliang is an orthodox fighter who stands six feet tall.

Ponzinibbio has not fought in two years but the last time we saw him, he was dominating his opposition with a powerful kickboxing attack and an improved defensive grappling. Jingliang is a well-rounded fighter who is both physical and aggressive inside the cage. He’s a very capable slugger but if Ponzinibbio returns in the same form, he’s at a disadvantage here. Those who have tried to trade shots with Ponzinibbio have not lasted long with him and Jingliang won’t be an exception. That is with the “if”. I’ll take that risk though.

Prediction: Santiago Ponzinibbio

Joaquin Buckley vs Alessio Di Chirico

Joaquin Buckley fought for Bellator and Legacy Fighting Alliance before joining the UFC last year. After losing to Kevin Holland in his UFC debut, he has won back to back fights, both via knockout and both earning Performance of the Night honors. The 26-year old from St. Louis, Missouri is 12-3 with nine knockouts. Buckley is a southpaw who stands 5-10 tall and has a reach of 76 inches.

Alessio Di Chirico is a former IMMAF amateur light heavyweight champion. The 31-year old from Rome, Italy joined the UFC in 2016 and has a 3-5 UFC record. Di Chirico heads to this bout with three straight losses and has a record of 12-5 with five knockouts and four wins via submission. He stands six feet tall and has a reach of 74 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Di Chirico is a solid and well-rounded fighter. However, he does not excel in one area. One of his main issues is that he does not push the fight once he gets the advantage and that often leads to a close fight which could go either way. Buckley is a more dangerous man on the feet. He is sharper and has knockout power. Both men will land here but Buckley’s shots will be more noticed because they will land with more impact. Di Chirico may end up getting stopped here but regardless, I’ll go with Buckley.

Predictions: Joaquin Buckley

Punahele Soriano vs Dusko Todorovic

Punahele Soriano fought for LFA and Titan FC before beating Jamie Pickett at the Contender Series in 2019. The 28-year old from Hawaii is undefeated in seven bouts with four knockouts and two wins via submission. He stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Dusko Todorovic fought in his native Serbia before appearing in the Contender Series where he defeated Teddy Ash in 2019. He defeated Dequan Townsend in his UFC debut last October and is 10-0 with six knockouts and three wins via submission. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 74 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Both these fighters all well-rounded and they also hit very hard. Soriano looks to be the more dedicated striker but Todorovic has looked good as well in the small sample size of fights we have. The Serbian knows how to maximize his strengths to frustrate his opponents. And in a matchup where two fighters look to be close to being even, that could be the difference between winning and losing.

Prediction: Dusko Todorovic

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