Shane Burgos is picking Calvin Kattar to come out on top against Max Holloway.
Kattar faces his toughest test yet when he faces former featherweight champion Holloway in the UFC Fight Island 7 headliner on January 16.
A win would not only be the biggest of his career and put Kattar on a three-fight winning streak with five wins in his last six outings, but also solidify himself as the next title challenger.
One fighter keeping a close eye on the contest is featherweight contender Burgos, who notably suffered his first professional defeat after a third-round TKO loss to Kattar back in January 2018.
So what does he think of the fight?
“I’ve been a fan of Max for a while before I was in the UFC,” Kattar told SCMP MMA. “When he was a young kid coming up, he was around the same age as me. He got a similar build to me so it reminded me of myself a little bit.
“But Kattar obviously is the first person to ever beat me so I have to root for him. That’s just how it goes. I’m rooting for that guy until we fight again. He’s a good guy, too, so I’m definitely rooting for him.”
As for the matchup, Burgos believes it’s going to be a clash of volume vs. power.
“I do think he [Kattar] has the power advantage,” Burgos explained. “Max does a little bit more volume, he’s more volume on the feet. So it is a style clash because they’re both standup guys, they’re both kind of like boxers who use their hands a lot.
“Max has more volume, Kattar has more power so I guess it’s going to be a battle of that.”
And when it comes to a prediction, Burgos is siding with his old opponent in Kattar. That said, he doesn’t envision a finish for the New England Cartel member.
“Who am I leaning towards? I’m leaning towards Kattar though,” Burgos added. “By decision. I think Max has a granite chin, I’ll give him that.”