UFC 220’s Shane Burgos not worried about rankings, just beating Calvin Kattar
By Mike Heck
Shane Burgos is focused squarely on defeating Calvin Kattar Saturday night at UFC 220 in Boston.
Shane Burgos is looking to continue his impressive run in the UFC’s featherweight division when he squares off against a fellow divisional prospect.
“Hurricane” will face Calvin Kattar on Saturday night at UFC 220. The event takes place at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Burgos is undefeated in his career, including a 3-0 run in the UFC which has showcased a style filled with constant pressure. After dominant unanimous decision wins over Tiago Trator and Godofredo Pepey, as well as a third-round TKO victory over Charles Rosa, a win over Kattar would likely put Burgos on the top-15 map.
“Hopefully (I get in the rankings), but I don’t give a s**t at the end of the day because, nowadays, I don’t think the rankings mean too much,” Burgos told FanSided MMA. “I’m just trying to get in there, have exciting fights, keep winning and trying to cash these bonuses. I want these exciting fights that will get the fans excited to want to see and, on top of that, get me a bonus.”
At 26 years of age, Burgos is being viewed among fans as one of the bright prospects in the organization. The Tiger Schulmann’s trained fighter has seen his hard work pay off in the form of a new four-fight deal with the UFC. As exciting as that news was for Burgos, who is living his dream fighting for the biggest promotion in the world, he finds his motivation from other avenues.
“Honestly, the placement on the card is more of a motivating factor (then the new deal),” Burgos said. “They are putting me (and Kattar) right before the two title fights. They think this fight is going to be an exciting fight and it is going to be an exciting fight. I have to go out there and prove them right.
“I don’t let any of those things effect me when I’m in the fight. The only thing I’m thinking about is win the fight. Finish this guy. It’s the only thing I’m thinking about. I’m not thinking about money, I’m not thinking about my family during the fight, all I’m thinking about is kill, or be killed.”
Burgos will be the away team, so to speak, when he takes on the Boston-area native Kattar on Saturday night. Kattar took a similar approach to Burgos as far as getting into the UFC when he took on Andre Fili on short notice at UFC 214 back in July. “The Boston Finisher” defeated Fili by unanimous decision to set himself up for this important featherweight bout with the undefeated Burgos.
While many were sleeping on Kattar, Burgos, who is a true student of the game, knew Fili was going to have his hands full.
“It was impressive,” Burgos said. “He’s got a good record so I didn’t sleep on him. I didn’t think it would be an easy fight for Fili. Looking at his record and who he’s fought, I thought it was actually a good matchup for Calvin. I was impressed with him, especially taking a fight on short notice and winning like that.”
An estimated 250-300 people will be making the trip to Boston to watch Shane Burgos compete on Saturday night. While the 10-0 “Hurricane” appreciates the support of his fans, if all goes according to plan, Burgos will be heading to the back to watch the two title fights sooner rather than later.
“I see myself winning, obviously. If you don’t see yourself winning in this sport then you’re an idiot,” Burgos said. “I definitely see myself winning and let’s see if he can handle the pressure. Nobody has been able to handle it before.
“I plan on winning in dominant fashion and I definitely plan on finishing. That’s no disrespect to my opponent, but I plan on finishing every single person I fight. I didn’t finish my last opponent and I didn’t finish my UFC debut and I’m still a little bit upset about that. I’m looking to go in and finish 100%. As soon as that bell rings; my job is to finish him as soon as possible. Get in, get out.”
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Following the featherweight main card battle at UFC 220, Daniel Cormier will defend the UFC light heavyweight title against the surging Volkan Oezdemir. The event’s headliner will see Stipe Miocic look to become the first UFC heavyweight champion to defend his title three times as he faces the powerful Francis Ngannou.