American fighter Rob Font wants a knockout win over T.J. Dillashaw so it can springboard him into UFC title contention
- Fast-rising bantamweight Rob Font wants to finish T.J. Dillashaw and prove he is ready for a title shot.
- Font is currently on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi to support his friend and training partner Calvin Kattar ahead of the featherweight's main event match against Max Holloway on Saturday.
- Beating Holloway could be enough to secure Kattar a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski.
- Font hopes a victory over Dillashaw could earn him his own title shot in the 135-pound weight class.
FIGHT ISLAND - American fighter Rob Font wants a knockout win over T.J. Dillashaw to springboard him into UFC title contention.
Though Font does not have a scheduled fight, the New England Cartel bantamweight is on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi to support his friend and training partner Calvin Kattar, who competes in a featherweight match against Max Holloway in Saturday's main event - the UFC's first show for three weeks.
Insider met Font, Kattar, and their trainer and agent Tyson Chartier earlier this week by the side of the Yas Marina Circuit, a $1 billion race track on the W Hotel site on Yas Island.
Font, 33, has been mimicking Kattar's opponent Holloway during their training camp to help him prepare for that style in the days and weeks leading up to this weekend.
But soon, it may fall on Kattar to return the favor and mimic Font's next opponent.
"I want big things," Font told Insider. "I'm thinking about belts and defending belts. I'm going to do what I have to do, tagging along with Calvin, getting to experience the main events, Fight Island, fighting through a pandemic."
Kattar is the No.6-ranked 145-pounder in the UFC but can climb that ladder should he defeat Holloway, who is the No.1 contender in that weight class.
And so Font is targeting a fight that, like Kattar, could propel him up the rankings should he win.
Since dropping a decision to Raphael Assuncao at UFC 226 in 2018, Font won three in a row, including a knockout via punches against Marlon Moraes last month.
Two of Font's last three fights have scooped him $50,000 bonus checks because of the awesomeness of his performance. The momentum is with him.
"I'm right behind Calvin," Font told us. "And I've been learning how to deal with all this s--- through him. I'm just waiting for that opportunity to knock one of the top guys out."
Frankie Edgar, Cody Garbrandt, and Cory Sandhagen are all ranked above Font in the 135-pound weight class, while the No.1 in the division Aljamain Sterling seeks to fight the champion Petr Yan.
But Font has someone else in his sights - the former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw who is approaching the end of his two-year suspension after testing positive for Erythropoietin [EPO] in 2018.
"We want T.J.," Font said. "To go out there and knockout T.J. Dillashaw would make it four in a row, two finishes, and you can't deny me [a title shot] from there."
Font beats everyone at bantamweight, the New England Cartel says
His coach Chartier has been studying Dillashaw for a while, knowing it's a bout that could materialize.
"Rob got to move around with T.J. a little bit in 2013, 2014. When he got in the UFC at 135, T.J. had the belt, so …that's the guy he's always wanted to fight," Chartier told us.
"I remember Rob's UFC debut … we saw T.J., I remember thinking if all goes well, we're going to fight this kid someday.
"We get to fight him now, not necessarily for the belt, but as an uncrowned champion because he never lost with the belt. There's a new champ now. But if, when, we beat him, 100% the next should be a title fight."
Kattar foresees a run of victories for his friend: "Rob finishes every fighter in the bantamweight division," he said.
"He's the best fighter in the world at 135-pounds, and he just needs the opportunity to go and prove it.
"Once Rob gets that fight booked with T.J. Dillashaw, we're both on pace to go get those belts in 2021," Kattar said.
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