Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 300

Calvin Kattar and Aljamain Sterling meet Saturday on the preliminary card of UFC 300 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling UFC 300 preview

Kattar (23-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) enters UFC 300 after a nearly 18-month layoff, while former bantamweight champion Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) looks to immediately establish himself as a featherweight contender. … Kattar, who’s lost three of his past four bouts, hasn’t competed since suffering a serious knee injury in a loss to Arnold Allen on Oct. 29, 2022. Kattar’s two other losses in that stretch have come against Max Holloway and Josh Emmett, with a win over Giga Chikadze in between. … Sterling is starting a new chapter of his career at 145 pounds after losing the 135-pound title to Sean O’Malley last August. Prior to that, Sterling was on a nine-fight winning streak, which included three successful title defenses against Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.

Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling expert pick, prediction

Between Kattar coming off a long injury layoff to the fact that Sterling is making a weight-class jump, this shakes out as one of the harder fights to call on the card.

Although a win for Sterling wouldn’t shock me in the slightest (especially if he’s able to keep his pace up and secure some key positions), I feel like I need to see the former champ fight at this weight class before I can confidently forecast how his style will translate.

For that reason, I’ll semi-reluctantly side with Kattar to defend takedowns and land the better strikes down the stretch for a decision win.

Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling odds

The oddsmakers are showing the former UFC champ respect, listing Aljamain Sterling as a slight -172 favorite and Kattar as a +140 underdog via FanDuel.

Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling start time, how to watch

Kattar and Sterling are expected to walk out to the octagon at approximately 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. local time in Las Vegas). The fight airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more detailed analysis from Dan Tom, check out his weekly show, “The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.”