So if Kattar defeats Holloway in Abu Dhabi, far away from home, the joy will be fleeting.
“I might hit that cutlets spot (laughs), but after that one meal, they all start tasting the same again,” he said. “And you miss that thrill. That thrill is what we’re after; it’s something unattainable almost. And every time you try to catch it, it gets pulled out of reach again and you’re tasting it again after every fight. It’s an unbelievable thing because you’re chasing that greatness, but you can never hold it and sit down with it. You always gotta just chase it.”
The crazy part is, Kattar doesn’t dread the chase. He embraces it because he knows that if he battles and wins long enough, he will get to where he wants to go. And it’s not just about titles and big paydays. He’s after more than that.
“Right now, I’m just not satisfied,” he said. “I’ve got too many things I want and, like I always tell these guys, it’s not how I fight that makes me a problem for these guys; it’s why I fight and what I fight for. I think a fighter fighting with a sense of purpose is the most dangerous fighter you can be across from in the Octagon and I bring that every time I step in there.”
So what is the why for the proud New Englander?
“For my family, for better days ahead, for what I’ve been through and where I see myself going,” he said. “I understand that the journey is the destination, so I try to find enjoyment in the journey and I genuinely do. I look across from me and there will be brief moments where I know I’m on the right path, chasing down goals ambitiously with my team and I look around me and I’m just grateful for the team and people that I have around me.
„In those brief moments, I find fulfillment, but I’m not completely satisfied until hopefully I get that job done and then every time I get that job done, that feeling’s gone. It fades so fast and you need more of it. I think it’s just that adrenalin, that thrill and that moment where hard work pays off and how brief it is. It’s tough to describe, but the reason why is for the things that I want for those around me – my team, my family – and so that we can enjoy it while we’re still alive and healthy enough to enjoy it. I want the things I never had. I’ve experienced that side of life all too much and I want nicer things for everybody around me. I also want what that affords me to make more of a difference and impact more lives. I think I’ll be more influential with the things that I want to do and the people that I want to help. So it’s not in a selfish way; I think I’ll have more influence to give back to the things that matter to me most.”
