Max Holloway will return in 2021 for his first non-title fight in five years.
The former UFC featherweight champion will fight Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16, the UFC announced Tuesday. The fight is likely to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN.
The bout will have major divisional implications. ESPN has Holloway ranked No. 2 and Kattar at No. 6 in the world at featherweight.
Holloway (21-6) held some form of the UFC featherweight title from 2016 until December 2019. Alexander Volkanovski beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 245 last December to win the belt, and Volkanovski prevailed by split decision in a hotly disputed rematch at UFC 251 in July.
Holloway, 28, successfully defended the title three times. The Hawaii native has the most wins (16), the most knockouts (8) and the most stoppage victories (10) in UFC featherweight history.
Kattar (22-4) has won two straight and is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Dan Ige in July. The Massachusetts native has won four of his past five fights overall. Kattar, 32, has finished four of his six UFC victories.
