Calvin Kattar and team asked UFC for Arnold Allen matchup, says coach

Calvin Kattar doesn’t have an opponent on the books, something his coach Tyson Chartier is looking to change – and he has an opponent in mind.

During UFC Fight Night 208 on Saturday, Arnold Allen, who was a guest fighter at the event, told reporters he wanted a top-five opponent. Currently No. 5 in the promotion’s rankings, Kattar fits the bill. It’s a fight he wants, too – so much so that Chartier revealed to MMA Junkie he asked the promotion a few days ago if they could book the fight for the latter half of 2022.

“We already said yes last fall and have asked the ufc again this week,” Chartier wrote on Instagram. Team Kattar wants it by the end of the year, Chartier added.

The UFC was lining Kattar and Allen up for a fight in late 2021. However, delays with Allen’s injury recovery caused the promotion to pivot and book Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze instead. Kattar won the fight by unanimous decision. Allen was later booked against Dan Hooker, whom he defeated by first-round TKO.

Kattar (23-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) returned in June and lost a controversial split decision to Josh Emmett, but walked away relatively unscathed outside of a broken nose. He’s 3-2 since the beginning of 2020 with wins over Jeremy Stephens, Dan Ige and Chikadze.

Allen (18-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is riding an 11-fight winning streak that includes key victories over Hooker, Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Melendez, among others.