calvin-kattar-arnold-allen.png
Getty Images

Calvin Kattar or Arnold Allen could be waiting for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski following the champion's expected detour to meet UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The pair of featherweight contenders headline UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.

Kattar (23-6) bounced back remarkably in January against Giga Chikadze after absorbing a historic number of strikes from Max Holloway one year prior. He looked to be on the verge of a title shot before running into the heavy-handed, soft-spoken Josh Emmett. Most media members and fans believed Kattar had done enough in a five-round decision against Emmett in June. The judges cage-side disagreed, however, and Emmett was awarded a split decision victory. Kattar owned up to the loss but insisted there needs to be more transparency from MMA judges and athletic commissions.

"Really the thing that we want to stress, not to go back too far and sound like a poor sport or anything like that, is we want accountability for the judges, things like that," told reporters at the UFC Fight Night media day. "That's really it. We have a bad day in the office, we pay for it. Mistakes happen. It's part of the game for everyone. There's a human error involved in everything. We just want to see something in place with the commissions to hold some accountability to the judges who might have got it the wrong way. It's important for the sport to move forward."

Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a preview of what to expect at UFC Fight Night below.

Allen (18-1) may be the most overlooked fighter in any division on the cusp of a UFC title. The English fighter is undefeated since joining the UFC in 2015. Prior to his gunslinging victory over Dan Hooker in March, however, his nine consecutive UFC victories flew mostly under the radar. Allen is relatively soft-spoken and only fought once a year for most of his UFC tenure, due in part to injuries. Allen, who has earned Performance of the Night in one-third of his Octagon encounters, sees a liability in Kattar's three straight Fight of the Night bonuses.

"He's got miles on the clock. He's had those five-round wars and even the fights he's won, he's taken a lot of damage," Allen said at fight week. "He's dangerous in every fight. There's no quit in him. Even when he got battered by Max Holloway, he's still trying to find a win the whole way through. There's a big argument someone would've thrown the towel in, but he never quit."

The co-main event features longtime UFC welterweights Max Griffin and Tim Means. Both guys are in the back half of their 30s but continue to impress inside of the Octagon. Griffin nearly defeated longtime contender Neil Magny in March but had his three-fight winning streak snapped in a split-decision loss. Means strung together three consecutive wins over the likes of Nicolas Dalby and Mike Perry before running into Kevin Holland in the summer.

"He's a durable guy with a lot of heart and gets in your face and fights you," Means said at media day this week. "I'm excited to fight Max and make it a violent fight. Once the cage door shuts, you have to find a reason not to like the guy across from you. So respect, but let's get violent."

On the prelim card, former heavyweight champion and longtime veteran Andrei Arlovski is back once again to take on Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Arlovski, who made his UFC debut all the way back in 2000, continues to provide a test to up and coming prospects. He's won four in a row and six of his last eight in the last three years. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in wins with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Jim Miller.

Here's the fight card for UFC Fight Night with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

Favorite
Underdog
Weightclass
Arnold Allen -120
Calvin Kattar +100
Featherweight
Max Griffin -180
Tim Means +155
Welterweight
Waldo Cortes-Acosta -210
Jared Vanderaa +175
 Heavyweight
Josh Fremd -160
Tresean Gore +135
Middleweight
Dustin Jacoby -175
Khalil Rountree +150
Light heavyweight

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: Oct. 29 | Start time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+

Prediction

Calvin Kattar vs. Arnold Allen: Allen could very much be the future of the featherweight division. His pressure and ability to dictate the terms of the fight have served him very well. He ranks among the active featherweight division's most elusive fighters, absorbing only 2.22 strikes per minute. Kattar absorbs an average of 7.15 strikes per minute, although he also lands more frequently than Allen. The chances of Allen getting Kattar down are relatively low and keeping him there is even lower. Kattar's crisp boxing game works hand-in-hand with his phenomenal 91% takedown defense and one of the lowest bottom position times and percentages in the 145-pound division. Allen's best route to victory is pummeling and pushing his way in close. Allen can use his offensive grappling to work from the clinch and press Kattar against the fence. Kattar should expect to keep moving and cut angles, picking apart his opponent from range. Chances are the fight goes 25 full minutes. Kattar has faced a much higher level of competition and Allen likely isn't the one to test his durability. My guts says Allen can take three rounds from his opponent, but I'm ultimately going to side with Kattar's ability to stay on his bicycle and punch his way to the judges' hearts. Kattar via UD

Who wins UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $13,000 on MMA in the past three years, and find out.