“The next day after the fight, I was in the gym, on the bike, doing some bulls***, clearing my mind, wanting to get back and right the wrong in my head, and get another rep,” Kattar said with a laugh. “But listening to the team and everyone saying I should ease my way back in — that it was the right thing to do, the smart thing to do — that’s why I put people on my team in a position to help me, and to not listen to their advice would be foolish.
“They were saying, ‘It can’t hurt to be patient.’ They have my best interest in mind, I took their advice, and it was kind of like I teased myself. I was biting at the bit to get back, so the longer I waited the more the anticipation built.”
The New England Cartel Is Here To Chase Belts
When he was ready to return, Kattar was booked opposite surging competitor Giga Chikadze, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum who followed his debut UFC win in the fall of 2019 with four victories in 2020 to crack the Top 15. The following year, the native of Georgia scored consecutive stoppage wins over divisional fixtures Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza to establish himself as a contender and set himself up for the first main event assignment of his career.
In the preamble to the contest, Chikadze was almost dismissive of Kattar, speaking about championship opportunities that should await him following this victory as if a win was assured, and not something that still had to be earned inside the cage.
