3 key questions ahead of UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Ige
Featherweight contenders Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige will face off in Wednesday's UFC Fight Night headliner at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Here are three key questions heading into the event.
Where will Kattar-Ige winner stand in division?
The winner of this week's main event will find himself alongside the best in the stacked 145-pound weight class.
Kattar and Ige are two of the most overlooked rising stars in the featherweight division, and the winner could force his way into title contention. Kattar, ranked No. 6, is 3-1 in his past four contests and has notable victories over Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, and Shane Burgos. Ige, meanwhile, sits at No. 10 and is riding an impressive six-fight winning streak that includes a recent decision over Edson Barboza.
The winner will set himself up for a bigger fight, and another victory after Wednesday might be all it will take to earn a title shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski. While there are a number of contenders at the top of the weight class - most notably, Chan Sung Jung, Zabit Magomedsharipov, and Yair Rodriguez - there's no clear-cut challenger for Volkanovski, who defended his belt last weekend in a rematch with former champ Max Holloway. If the winner of Kattar-Ige can remain active, it's possible he could jump the line and fight for UFC gold sooner than expected.
Can Rivera turn his career around?
A few years ago, Jimmie Rivera was showing signs of championship pedigree. The bantamweight signed with the UFC in 2015 and started his Octagon career with five straight wins, a streak that included victories over UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, Thomas Almeida, and Pedro Munhoz.
"El Terror" has dropped off significantly since then. He's 1-3 in his past four outings and is far removed from title discussions.
The one thing going for Rivera is that he's lost to really good fighters, including Petr Yan, who captured the vacant bantamweight title this past weekend, Aljamain Sterling, and Marlon Moraes. They could be the three best 135-pound competitors today, so there's no shame in those losses.
Still, Rivera just needs to get back into the win column. In many fans' eyes, a loss is a loss, regardless of who it comes against. The No. 9-ranked bantamweight has the opportunity to right the ship when he faces Cody Stamann on Wednesday. Stamann is ranked just below at No. 10, and while he's a talented fighter himself, this is a winnable bout for Rivera.
The 31-year-old is expected to bounce back, which would mark his first win since September 2018. But from there, it'll be tough for Rivera to get back into title contention, as bantamweight is currently one of the UFC's strongest divisions.
How will Alhassan look after 2 years off?
Abdul Razak Alhassan's return is perhaps one of the more underrated storylines on this card, as the promising welterweight was forced to spend the better part of the last two years on the sidelines.
Two Texas women accused Alhassan of sexual assault in 2018. He was found not guilty of all charges in March, but the accusations derailed his career. The 34-year-old hasn't stepped into the Octagon since UFC 228 in September 2018, when he knocked out Niko Price in less than a minute.
"Judo Thunder" was shaping up to be a potential contender at 170 pounds - at the very least, someone who would consistently put on entertaining fights and end them violently. He's scheduled to face newcomer Mounir Lazzez, a 9-1 prospect who trains out of Dubai.
There's no way to tell exactly how Alhassan will look coming off the two-year layoff. If he's been training all this time, he'll probably pick up where he left off and treat us to a knockout. If not, Lazzez will have an opportunity to capitalize.