As someone who follows the sport of MMA closely enough, you may often hear about it being heavily momentum-based. “You are only as good as your last fight,” they say.
With the fast-paced nature of the sport, it is really not that surprising. A fighter, who was considered a divisional great a year ago, could turn out to have “never been that good” in the eyes of many after a harsh skid.
A very recent example of it would be Israel Adesanya. The Nigerian is on a three-fight losing streak as of today, but some fans started to consider him “overrated” right after he lost his belt to Sean Strickland in September 2023.
This part of MMA makes the matchup of Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal that much more interesting. With Zalal riding a three-fight winning streak in the UFC (six fights overall), while Kattar lost his last three to elite opposition, it is truly a laboratory experiment when it comes to people’s perception of a fighter based on their most recent showing.
The oddsmakers can also be affected by the magical power of momentum. Zalal, who is yet to crack UFC‘s top 15, is a heavy -400 favorite against Kattar, who has faced the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Max Holloway, Jeremy Stephens, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Dan Ige and more.
Though, Youssef himself doesn’t feel like the losing streak makes Kattar any less of a danger, on the contrary the Moroccan told MMA Junkie Radio,“[Kattar]’s fighting for his position, and that’s a scary fighter to fight.”
The vet, Calvin Kattar, commented on his recent defeats at the media day: “Not the way you want to write it up, but it’s dangerous kind of focusing too much behind you and too far ahead of you. Right now, we got Youssef Zalal on Saturday.”
It is not like the Moroccan devil hasn’t been in unfavorable positions himself: On August 13, 2022, Zalal drew with 28-year-old Da’Mon Blackshear, extending his winless streak to four. Zalal was cut from the UFC and again had to prove himself on the regional scene. And prove himself he did, as Youssef would then get three first-round finishes in a row to get back to the UFC, after which he’d come out the victor in three more.
It is not just an encounter between Youssef Zalal and Calvin Kattar, it is a fight of the confidence of having undefeated run after a phenomenal career resurgence against the experience of being in the shark pool with former champions, promising prospects and proved veterans before.
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