Nine days earlier, Max Holloway said he was waiting for a chance to correct Calvin Kattar’s words.

On Saturday, the blessed one found the beauty of his craft once again, pulverizing No. 6 contender Calvin Kattar from start to finish for a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.

The Waianae-raised Holloway remains the No. 1 contender in UFC’s featherweight (145-pound) division and is now 22-6. It was his first win since beating Frankie Edgar on July 27, 2019. Since then, Holloway had lost two title bouts with current champ Alexander Volkanovski.

Kattar, one of the hottest fighters in the division, fell to 22-5. It was the first combat sports event on ABC since 2000.

“I felt great. He said he was the best boxer and I wanted to prove everyone wrong. The man was calling me a freshman. There’s freshmen that come up and take your girlfriend. I’m that guy,” Holloway said to ABC after the fight.

Kattar was game. He simply had no way to counter everything Holloway brought, from basic combinations to spinning kicks, elbows to the body and head and more. It was pure, surgical mastery.

“They’ve been trying to get me to throw more elbows and knees. I like to box, but it felt better doing that. It’s crazy. That’s the first time I used it that close,” he said. “Wow, these things work.”

Holloway nullified the power-punching skills of Kattar. The fight could have been stopped in the third and fourth rounds as Holloway landed combinations of nearly every kind. By the middle of the final round, Holloway was ducking and weaving with his hands down, hollering to the audience as Kattar missed on left and rights — reminiscent of Muhammad Ali in his prime.

“Being on ABC, Ali, (Roberto) Duran, all these beasts and I get to be part of it. What a night, bro, what a night,” Holloway said. “I felt like a little Muhammad Ali in the last round. This guy was talking about boxing. All respect to him, but especially being from Waianae, we live a little bit different out there.”

Kattar survived, even if he never landed a significant combo of his own. By the second round, a gash on his forehead spouted blood. By the third, his nose appeared to be broken.

“You gotta kill me to get me out of there, man. Max Holloway, if you’re not a fan of his, you’re a hater. All the best to him,” he said.

Judges scored the five-round bout 50-43, 50-43, 50-42.

“First of all thank you, Abu Dhabi, for keeping us safe,” Holloway said after the fight during the first combat-sport telecast on ABC since 2000. “There’s a big fight coming up. Your boy’s staying all week to see (Daniel) Cormier and (Connor) McGregor. Let’s get some prizes.”

The numbers were lopsided, and they don’t tell how much Holloway’s hand speed controlled the fight. Despite a three-inch reach disadvantage, Holloway landed 445 out of 744 significant strike attempts; Kattar had just 133 significant strikes in 283 attempts.

Holloway had 274 blows to the head. Kattar had 99. Holloway also delivered 117 body blows in 133 tries. Kattar had 16 out of 23.

“We looked at the numbers (before the fight) and found out my significant strike output was more than his significant strikes absorbed. I had to get in and do my thing. I was tripping out. I’m gonna keep touching him until he’s out of there,” Holloway said.

The former champion is hungry for another shot.

“We’ll see what happens. If it’s up to me, the champ said he wanted a tough fight. If he wants that, he knows who to call. Me, I always want the toughest fight. I would move to Brazil and fight every single way to prove a point, to be the best, to beat the best.”

The lure of a larger market via ABC can’t be ignored.

“People keep forgetting I’m only 20. I’ve been here since I was 20. I fought on the Nick Dias-Carlos Condon card. Now, Carlos is on this card. It’s insane,” he said. “I want to be around here for a long time.”

It was also the second camp that involved no sparring for Holloway.

“It’s a big help not taking hits and getting damage. I’m firing on all cylinders. You might kick your (sparring partner’s) elbow or stub your toe on his knee,” he said. “Save your chickens. You only got one brain, please protect it. Be smart. It’s a longevity game. I have a kid. I want more kids and I want to be there when it’s time to be a dad.”

As he did before the Kattar fight, Holloway pointed to a longtime rival, former champion Daniel Cormier.

“DC facetimed me and I saw his castle. There’s only one money fight, and that is me, DC,” he said to the retired fighter, who was part of the broadcast team on Saturday. “I’m coming for your job.”

After two minutes of showing superior hand speed, Holloway landed combinations, and later landed a kick before the first round ended. Kattar’s corner man advised, “Don’t go so big with the right hand.”

It didn’t matter. Holloway landed a left-right combo that sent Kattar to his left knee for a split-second. Kattar landed occasional straight rights, but Holloway’s combo sent Kattar backing up against the cage. After another right from Holloway, blood gushed from Kattar’s forehead.

Kattar connected on an uppercut early in the third round, but Holloway soon brought a left kick and an uppercut. The round seemed to be even until Holloway brought two lefts and a body shot with 40 seconds left. In the final 10 seconds, Holloway bobbed and weaved, Ali style, and connected with a right.

After three rounds, Holloway had a 64-15 edge in body shots.

Another vicious combination in the fourth round buckled Kattar, who refused to go down. Holloway narrowly missed with a right knee and a wobbly Kattar made it to the horn.

In a preliminary middleweight (185-pound) battle of unbeatens, Waialua’s Punahele Soriano 8-0 (five knockouts, two submissions) knocked out Dusko Todorovic at 4:48 of the first round to remain unbeaten.