There are many miles — 8,575 from Kahuku High School to Abu Dhabi — on Dan Ige’s personal odometer.

Yet, he is fresh and just getting started, if all goes well for the No. 10 featherweight in UFC. Ige (14-2) brings a six-fight win streak to his first main-event card on Wednesday against No. 6 Calvin Kattar. The bout airs on ESPN Wednesday, 1 p.m. Hawaii time.

“At the end of the day, I can’t let the bright lights and extra media take away from the fight,” said Ige, wearing a gray aloha shirt during Monday’s press conference. “I have one job to do and I’m pretty excited.”

The dynamic featherweight division offers opportunities, but getting to the top is a narrow path.

“Who knows? You never know what happens in this division,” Ige said. “I’m active. I’m in my third fight this year. If I keep winning, you can’t deny me.”

With three defeats for Hawaii fighters over the weekend, including a controversial split-decision loss by fellow islander and No. 2 featherweight Max Holloway, Ige is razor sharp. Holloway lost to Alexander Volkanovski despite knocking the champ down twice, stirring up a social-media uproar.

“I thought it was a great fight. I thought Max had won. That’s how it goes sometimes,” Ige said. “He had rounds 1, 3 and 5, and you could argue 4. I was obviously biased, rooting for a Hawaiian. He will always be a champion. He has five belts at home. I think he’ll have a title again. It is what it is, as he would say.”

Ige’s opponent agreed.

“I thought Max might have won it. I’d have to rewatch it,” Kattar said. “If you scored it as one big round, Max might have won it. Max controlled the cage the whole fight. But scoring is the way it is.”

Against Ige, Kattar has some advantages on paper. He is 21-4 with 11 knockouts, a former high school wrestler who developed into one of the best punchers in UFC — 5.29 significant strikes per minute. Oddsmakers have Kattar as the heavy favorite.

“Good thing for me, I don’t care about that,” said Kattar, nicknamed the “Boston Finisher.” “A win over Ige puts me one step closer to being champion and bringing the title back to Boston.”

At 5 feet, 11 inches, Kattar has a 4-inch advantage on Ige, but his reach is only a 1-inch edge. Kattar is coming off a second-round TKO win over Jeremy Stephens in UFC 249.

“He’s ferocious. He’s a finisher,” Ige said. “That’s what I am, too. That’s what I always bring to a fight. I’m dangerous in certain areas.”

Kattar, 32, doesn’t take anyone lightly.

“There’s too much talk and not enough fighting,” Kattar said of the division. “Dan earned this shot, too. We’re similar that people doubted us along the way. Guys like Dan Ige and I keep fighting. We’re hungry.”

Prior to beating Stephens, Kattar lost to No. 2 featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov by decision in Moscow last November. If Kattar has a slight vulnerability, it may be on the ground. Magomedsharipov sealed the win there, countering a flying knee attempt with a takedown. Kattar absorbed his share of kicks from Magomedsharipov and Menato Moicano, but Ige is more of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu style fighter.

Ige, 28, has been an effective grinder, winning his last two fights by split decision. In February, he cut 13 pounds on short notice and defeated Mirsad Bektic at UFC 247 in Houston. In May, Ige scored a win over Edson Barboza in Jacksonville, Fla. Of his 14 wins, five have been by submission and three by KO.

Ige’s introduction to the mat was at Kahuku under coach Reggie Torres.

“I’ve seen most of his fights. He has one of the best work ethic. He’ll have to work through the distance and the hits, and find a way to score through hits and takedowns,” Torres said. “He’s just trying to keep it tight, not giving his opponents the opportunity to hit him from afar, hit him with power.”

To beat Kattar, Ige’s formula probably stays the same, Torres said.

“Keep the pressure on. He’s more in shape and has a bigger heart than his opponent. So push the tempo and win in the third. Win through cardio,” Torres said.

The last time they chatted was via text after Ige beat Barboza. Ige began wrestling as a junior and reached the state semifinals of the 145 weight class as a senior.

“He took his opponent into overtime. He took him down, but was a few inches out of bounds, so it didn’t count,” Torres recalled. “Then he gave up a takedown and lost.”

A decade has passed, but Ige hasn’t forgotten the long road.

“Coach Reggie has a big part of this, too. He helped instill a mind-set in me,” Ige said. “I wasn’t the best or most talented, but I can outwork guys and that’s what I’ll bring to the table. I always look back. I never forget. I’m telling myself I’m going to make it to UFC even when I had doubters, I’m not making money, getting hurt, getting injured, getting cut, bruises. I had to keep telling myself it doesn’t matter. I have a goal.”

Kattar’s background, like Ige, began in high school wrestling. With a twist.

“In high school, I was always scrappy (in wrestling). I would punch guys in the face. Now here I am,” he said. “I take what these guys give me, my style of fighting, when I see an opportunity, I strike.”

Underdog or not, Ige is even-keeled.

“There’s no extra pressure at all because I have the same goal, the same mind-set,” he said. “With the global pandemic, we’re very fortunate to be competing in Abu Dhabi in this historic event.”

He knows Hawaii will be watching closely.

“Shout out to everyone back home,” Ige said. “Kahuku Red Raiders for life.”