UFC-debut winner Calvin Kattar when he got the UFC call: 'Holy (expletive)!'

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Calvin Kattar knew opportunity knocked, and he wasn’t sure when it would come knocking again.

So when the UFC offered a late-notice fight – despite some less-than-ideal conditions – he knew he couldn’t turn it down.

“Opportunity waits for no one,” he said. “If I didn’t step up and take this shot, who knows when I’d get another one? I’m not trying to live with the regret.”

Luckily for Kattar (17-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), he took the fight, and he ended up with a unanimous-decision victory over featherweight Andre Fili (16-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 214. The preliminary-card bout kicked off the FXX-televised prelims prior to the pay-per-view main card at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Kattar took the fight on two weeks’ notice for injured Dooho Choi. He said was probably in his worst shape in 10 months. The UFC call came as a shock, but he didn’t consider saying no.

“It was more like, ‘Holy (expletive),” he said. “The phone call came in. ‘Am I ready?’ All these doubts. Filled with fears and doubts. To get that phone call and take it – but I notice I shine best when I put my back against the wall.”

However, the 29-year-old CES MMA vet, who’s also a regional MMA promoter, said his best is still to come. So when he puts his nine-fight winning streak on the line next time out, he said fans can expect an even better version of himself than the one who pulled off an upset over 3-1 favorite Fili.

“I’ve definitely got a lot more to put out there,” he said. “I definitely held back a little bit for debut purposes and trying to solidify the win, as well as the two-week camp. He’s a durable kid. He’s ranked. I didn’t want to get too cocky.”

For more on UFC 214, check out the UFC Events section of the site.