UFC Fight Island 7 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Holloway vs Kattar

• The UFC starts off 2021 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi
• Former featherweight champion Max Holloway battles rising contender Calvin Kattar
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Fight Island 7 main card, below

The UFC starts off 2021 with a three-event stretch in one week on Fight Island.

In the main event of UFC Fight Island 7, former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway looks to snap his losing streak as he battles Calvin Kattar. The co-main event sees two legends in Carlos Condit and Matt Brown throw down.

UFC Fight Island 7 main card airs live on ABC on January 16, 2021, at 3 PM EST. The table below shows odds for the main card at FanDuel and DraftKings, followed by best bets for the event.

UFC Fight Island 7 Odds

Odds as of Jan. 15

Can Holloway Get Back On Track?

Max Holloway will have his first non-title fight since he fought Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199 in June of 2016. Calvin Kattar, meanwhile, is scheduled to fight for five rounds for just the second time in his career.

Holloway & Kattar Recent Fights

In the lead-up to this fight, a question many have is, can Max Holloway still fight at a championship-level or did the damage he sustained against Dustin Poirier at lightweight impact him. After the Hawaiian moved up to face Poirier for the interim lightweight title, he has struggled and this will be a big test to see if he has what it takes to get another crack at a title.

There are really only two paths I see that fight going and that is Holloway winning a clear-cut decision by avoiding the power shots of Kattar and landing more shots. Or, Kattar lands one of his “Boston Bombs” and drops Holloway.

Holloway vs Kattar Stats

Ultimately, I like Max Holloway in this fight, and I’m surprised the line is not higher. Holloway has never been knocked out in his career and has proven to have a solid chin. When he fought Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, both men couldn’t even drop him, so I don’t expect Kattar to be able to.

I do expect Kattar to have success early on and land the harder shots. But, as the third round rolls on, I like Holloway to bring up the pressure, and out volume Kattar to win the final three rounds and the fight.

Pick: Max Holloway (-162)

Who Wins The Battle of The OGs?

Carlos Condit and Matt Brown have been scheduled to fight in 2013 and 2018, but due to Brown tearing his ACL, the fight hasn’t happened. Yet, it is a fight both men have called for, for years.

Condit & Brown Recent Fights

Although this fight would’ve been a lot better in 2013, it still is exciting to be able to watch them compete. Both men have also hinted at retirement in the near future, so perhaps, this is the last fight for both of them.

This is a very tough fight to call because of the fact Condit is 36 and Brown is 40, and both past their primes. Although Condit won his last fight, he was on a five-fight losing streak and did not look like himself. However, he was mostly losing by submission, which is not how Brown fights. Brown is a guy who lives by the sword or dies by it, and he will knock you out or get knocked out.

Ultimately, Brown showed in his last fight the power was still there, and I like him to be able to hurt Condit on the feet and do enough damage to win a decision.

Pick: Matt Brown (+145)

Other UFC Fight Island 7 Picks:

1. Santiago Ponzinbbio (-295): Ponzinibbio is the better fighter, but we haven’t seen him fight in two years, however, I do expect him to win this fight.
2. Joaquin Buckley (-278): The UFC is being careful with Buckley’s matchmaking after his highlight-reel KO last year. I like Buckley to win, however, look at Buckley by decision prop as Di Chirico has never been knocked out in his career.
3. Punahele Soriano (+136): If Soriano gets out of the first round, I expect him to use his wrestling and pressure to win the final two rounds and get the decision.