MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC on ESPN 37.

UFC on ESPN 37 takes place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Calvin Kattar (23-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC)

Calvin Kattar

Staple info:

• Height: 5’11” Age: 34 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72″

• Last fight: Decision win over Giga Chikadze (Jan. 15, 2022)

• Camp: New England Cartel (Massachusetts)

• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ Wrestling base
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt
+ 11 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 10 first-round finishes
+ KO Power
+ Good feints and footwork
+ Accurate shot selection
^ Works well off of left hand
+ Solid wrestling ability
^ Defensively and offensively
+ Shows good grappling
^ Positional awareness and fundamentals

Josh Emmett (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC)

Josh Emmett

Staple info:

• Height: 5’6″ Age: 37 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72″

• Last fight: Decision win over Dan Ige (Dec. 11, 2021)

• Camp: Team Alpah Male (California)

• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ NAIA collegiate wrestler (Menlo College)
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ 6 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ KO power
^ 11 knockdowns in last 7 appearances
+ Heavy crosses and hooks
^ Coming forward and off the counter
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Good takedown ability
+ Solid transitional grappler
^ Scrambles well/positionally aware

Point of interest: Bring on the boxing

Calvin Kattar

The main event on ESPN features a fun pairing of featherweights who aren’t afraid to punctuate their presence in the pocket.

Quietly crafting his tools in and out of the regional scene for roughly a decade, [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] stepped onto the UFC stage with some fundamentally sound striking and well-earned hype.

Whether he is coming forward or sticking and moving, Kattar does a great job of keeping his feet underneath him, occasionally shifting stances when he finds his groove. Typically working behind a high guard, Kattar maintains a solid shoulder and head position that helps him protect his chin from a lot of the big punches that come his way.

Kattar, who trains with a lot of pro boxers, also does well at diversifying his shot selection from a boxing perspective. From slipping offline to changing his level, he offers options to both the body and the head.

Wielding a stinging jab (both defensively and offensively), Kattar will either use it to disrupt his opponent’s striking rhythms or allow it to help set up punishing uppercuts and crosses once establishing his range.
Nevertheless, Kattar is not beyond being countered for his efforts and will need to be mindful of the heavy hands of [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]/

An athletic and explosive mover, Emmett displays similar stylistic nods to his Team Alpha Male stablemates to go along with an eye for technical detail.

Often circling along the outside, Emmett will offer an array of looks in an effort to create alternate angles of approach. Whether he is feinting heavily and shuffle-stepping his way into range with a right hand, or shifting to southpaw to enter off of kicks, Emmett has power in almost everything he throws.

The 11-year pro also carries craft to his game, demonstrating slick head movement and an awareness of angles that speaks louder than one would expect from his resume.

A deceptive counter puncher, Emmett does his best work when walking his opponents into his favored heavy right hand. That said, Emmett has been making some solid strides with his left hand from both stances in recent bouts, demonstrating improved jabs, hooks and crosses.

I’m not sure how often Emmett will attempt to jab with Kattar, but getting on the inside will be crucial for the Team Alpha Male product.

Point of interest: Potential grappling threats

Dec 11, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Josh Emmett brings down Dan Ige during UFC 269 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Despite both men doing most of their work standing, I would still not be surprised to see someone attempt to get the jump on the other within the grappling department this Saturday.

Sure, neither man is known for their consistent grappling efforts, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable.

Kattar, for instance, comes from a wrestling base and has shown that he can hit opportunistic shots when needed (e.g. in his fights with Andre Fili and Giga Chikadze). And once the Massachusetts native gets his man to the floor, he demonstrates excellent positional awareness in regards to his hip positioning and ground striking.

Luckily for Emmett, he’s no slouch in the wrestling realm either.
A former NAIA collegiate wrestler, Emmett will probably have a slight edge when it comes to takedowns. Whether he is in the open or against the fence, Emmett has shown a serviceable array of options he can exercise.

Emmett also knows his way inside of a scramble, displaying passing and striking competency from topside in past performances.

From the bottom, Emmett is not afraid to attack what’s there – chaining chokes, leg locks and other submissions that he parlays into opportunities to scramble and stand. In fact, both men do well with getting back to their feet, making me think that ground exchanges may be short and sweet.

However, Emmett will still need to be mindful of not getting stuck clinching with his counterpart for too long should he fail to secure a shot.
Kattar, as he reminded in his last outing, is well-trained when it comes to the art of eight limbs. From wicked elbows in close to hard knees up the center, Kattar offers a dangerous offense in closed quarters.

Point of interest: Odds and opinions

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 17: (L-R) Calvin Kattar punches Max Holloway in a featherweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 17, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The oddsmakers and public are siding with the man from Massachusetts, listing Kattar -250 and Emmett +190 via Tipico Sportsbook.

Despite being more in line with the opening odds (which were a bit tighter), I don’t disagree with who is favored.

Still, I warn anyone who is completely writing off Emmett and the quiet improvements he has made.

Not only does Emmett have obvious fight-changing power, but the Menlo College rep has also improved his technical acumen and variety in the boxing realm – particularly off of his left hand. In fact, I would not be shocked to see Emmett lean on his shifting southpaw offense considering the success past Kattar opponents have had striking from that stance.

We saw Emmett utilize the southpaw stance to successfully create lanes for his cross when he fought a superior boxing technician in Shane Burgos. That said, both Burgos and Dan Ige demonstrated effective ways to fight Emmett in regards to the work they were able to get done off of their lead hands.

Whether they were splitting jabs with a shorter Emmett or smartly going to his body, I couldn’t help but identify avenues of attack for a fighter like Kattar to potentially exploit. I also see Kattar carrying an edge in the directionality department due to Emmett’s propensity to skirt the outer edges of the cage.

Add in all of Kattar’s recent five-round experience, and I suspect that his durability allows him to pressure and pull big shots out of Emmett, eventually feinting out an opening to finish with a long right hand somewhere in the mid-to-late rounds.

Prediction: Kattar inside the distance

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