Tag: Brad Katona

Exclusive – TUF 31 winner Brad Katona talks future clash with Sean O’Malley, reveals when he plans to fight again

KatonaTUF 31 winner Brad Katona is already chomping at the bit to get back inside the Octagon and take advantage of his second chance with the promotion. On August 19, Katona made history by becoming the first competitor to win The Ultimate Fighter not once, but twice. The SBG Ireland product originally won season 27 […]

Katona

TUF 31 winner Brad Katona is already chomping at the bit to get back inside the Octagon and take advantage of his second chance with the promotion.

On August 19, Katona made history by becoming the first competitor to win The Ultimate Fighter not once, but twice. The SBG Ireland product originally won season 27 of the long-running reality series in 2018 but was released after dropping back-to-back bouts against Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure. Four years later, Katona earned himself another shot by scoring a spot in the latest season of the series.

Katona took full advantage of the opportunity, landing three straight wins, including an absolute barnburner against Cody Gibson in the tournament final at UFC 292.

Following his big win, Brad Katona sat down with Danny Podolsky in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview to discuss his return to the UFC, and most importantly, what comes next.

“The goal remains the same. We’re chasing that UFC belt,” Katona said. “I’ve worked with a very good sports psychologist, Dr. Jason Brooks, and he wanted a lot about this fight to be us shrinking it down. We can talk about the accolade. You win the Ultimate Fighter twice. That’s so cool and you’re back in the UFC, but that’s not our end goal.

“We really looked at the best bantamweight in the world. We want to be chasing that title and that helped us shrink down this opportunity to what it was. If we’re living up here with the world champions, Cody Gibson is down here. And that’s nothing against Cody, but that’s just where we’re living. That’s how we’re operating. That’s the level of excellence that we need to keep up.

“So what am I doing next? I’m doing exactly that. I’m living up here with the very best of them and working backward from there. And what does that look like? Well, there’s a big pay-per-view in December. If that opportunity comes up, absolutely. Let’s hop on that. If there’s a Canadian card, awesome. Let’s do that as well.”

Brad Katona Comments on Sean O’Malley’s Shocking UFC 292 Knockout of Aljamain Sterling

The same night that Brad Katona secured his second contract with the promotion, Sean O’Malley shocked the world with a stunning second-round knockout of Aljamain Sterling in the UFC 292 main event. Asked for his thoughts on the crowning of a new bantamweight world champion, Katona said:

“I think it was very impressed with what [O’Malley] did. How can you not? The thing that made Aljamain Sterling the champion is his ability to show up consistently at the highest level. Anybody can have a night here or there, but he shows up consistently and wins fights against the best bantamweight in the world.

“Then when Sean O’Malley goes and knocks him out, that’s a feat,” Katona continued. “I think Sean O’Malley is an extremely intelligent guy. He surrounds himself with a lot of great people. He has a great team behind him and it’s not by accident. You see the Sean O’Malley smoking weed with the hair. You see the clown act, but it’s an act. If you think that’s what he’s doing day in and day out, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was back to work on Monday. He seems like that type of guy. Very intelligent.”

As for how he would match up with O’Malley in a potential fight, Katona believes he brings many of the same threats to the Octagon that Aljamain Sterling does, but with significantly better boxing.

“I think I offer a lot of the similar threats that Aljamain does,” Katona continued. “Maybe not the size. I’m not as tall and long as him, but I got striking. I got hands and I think I’ve got all those things. Aljamain didn’t quite have the boxing, hence he overextended and walked into that shot. It was a beautiful shot, but it was from, I believe, Aljamain Sterling’s lack of boxing. Maybe some desperation to get to the ground. That’s what you’re not going to find with me.

“I think I match up well with O’Malley, but again, my job is to do exactly what Aljamain does. Perform at the highest level consistently, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Brad Katona outworks Cody Gibson in instant classic to win TUF bantamweight finale – UFC 292 Highlights

Brad KatonaOn Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter closed up his 31st season with two big tournament finals, the first of which featured Brad Katona and Cody Gibson going toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in the bantamweight finale at UFC 292. Going into the bout, Brad Katona was listed as a solid favorite, sitting at -175, but in […]

Brad Katona

On Saturday night, The Ultimate Fighter closed up his 31st season with two big tournament finals, the first of which featured Brad Katona and Cody Gibson going toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in the bantamweight finale at UFC 292.

Going into the bout, Brad Katona was listed as a solid favorite, sitting at -175, but in the opening round, Gibson looked as though he may be able to defy the odds and walk away with the biggest win of his career. Things quickly changed in the second round when Katona began to take over and had his opponent on the ropes. Gibson managed to survive the round, but he saw himself narrowly finished in the third as Katona took full control of the festivities.

By the time the final horn sounded, Gibson was a bloody mess and Brad Katona was moments away from earning a contract with the UFC.

Official Result: Brad Katona def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Katona and Gibson combined for 303 significant strikes, the fourth most in bantamweight history and was compared to the legendary Ultimate Fighter final between Forrest Griffin and the late Stephen Bonnar.

Check Out Highlights From Brad Katona vs. Cody Gibson at UFC 292 Below:

Exclusive: TUF 27 Winner Brad Katona Chases Gold At BRAVE CF 57

From competing in small-town shows in Canada to preparing to headline BRAVE CF 57 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Brad Katona’s MMA career has been nothing if not eventful. This week, the Canadian, who fights out of SBG Ireland, returns to action when he takes on Bahrain’s Hamza Kooheji for the vacant BRAVE CF bantamweight […]

From competing in small-town shows in Canada to preparing to headline BRAVE CF 57 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Brad Katona’s MMA career has been nothing if not eventful.

This week, the Canadian, who fights out of SBG Ireland, returns to action when he takes on Bahrain’s Hamza Kooheji for the vacant BRAVE CF bantamweight title on Friday, March 11, inside the Khalifa Sports City Arena. It’s an important bout for Katona, who wants to establish himself as one of the world’s best bantamweights. However, as he readies himself for his first world title fight, he is still able to take a moment and enjoy the situation he finds himself in.

“It’s from prairies in the middle of kind of nowhere to Bahrain and then flying back and calling Ireland home. It’s all so alien and so exciting that you have to be grateful for it, ” Katona told LowkickMMA.

This week’s fight will be Katona’s third bout with BRAVE CF after he signed with the promotion in 2021. He picked up a second-round submission victory on debut at BRAVE CF 50 before defeating Kazakhstan’s Bair Shtepin via unanimous decision at BRAVE CF 53 to secure his title shot.

Katona rose to fame in 2018 after defeating Jay Cucciniello to win The Ultimate Fighter 27. He then scored a victory over Matthew Lopez at UFC 231 before consecutive losses saw him released from the UFC. The 30-year-old has bounced back in impressive style, and this week’s fight offers him the perfect opportunity to remind MMA fans of the talent he brings to the table.

“We’re not looking past Hamza; we’re looking through him, as a teammate of mine says. But the journey doesn’t end here with the belt. It ends when my legacy is built over the years,” Katona explains.

” I have been saying it since I started. I’m going to be one of the best, if not the best, bantamweights in the world. And claiming the BRAVE world title, I think, is a good start to that.

“It’s something my team wants. John Kavanaugh really wants that BRAVE belt, and I already brought them one Ultimate Fighter trophy, so I might as well bring them the BRAVE championship.”

If you had to sum up Katona’s approach to MMA, the word scientific quickly springs to mind. The Winnipeg native has a degree in mechanical engineering and has transposed what he learned at University to the world of MMA.

” It’s this continual improvement, the Kaizen mentality of always trying to seek improvement and take away weaknesses, “he explains.

“Competition is one aspect of that where I can improve and test. In the training room, you’re prototyping, you’re studying, and then you have to test because everything works in theory. We do our simulations, and we do our spar, we do all that. You are putting the prototype in the wind tunnel, but at some point, you got to build the plane and fly. So that’s what we’re doing, So I love that approach. “

The scientific approach will be helpful when it comes time to step into the cage with Koohej. The 29-year-old Koohej is riding a four-fight winning streak and, according to Katona, is somewhat of a shapeshifter who can adopt different styles. It means that Katona may need to have multiple strategies on hand, depending on what version of Koohej shows up.

On Friday, Koohej can claim the bantamweight title and make history by becoming the first Bahrain-born combat sports world champion. It adds an extra element to the fight, and Katona is intrigued by how it impacts his opponent.

“I am curious. I’m ready for him to be excited, anxious, [to] try and take me out quick. I’m ready for him trying to suppress those nerves and come out slowly and try to go 25 minutes.

“‘I’m curious on how the crowd’s going to be. Are they going to be, you know, extremely loud and excited every time he throws something? Probably. Are they going to be somewhat more hostile towards me? That’s a possibility as well.”

However the fight unfolds, you can bet that Katona will be ready for it and will be relishing the chance to solve one of the most challenging puzzles in the BRAVE CF bantamweight division.

How do you see this fight going down at BRAVE CF 57?

Ben Saunders & Brad Katona Among 13 Fighters Cut From UFC Roster

The UFC has trimmed their roster by 13 over the past couple of weeks. With the Contender Series coming up this summer, and several fighters going to be signed, the promotion is clearing spots. Zane Simon of BloodyElbow took to Twitter to report 13 figh…

The UFC has trimmed their roster by 13 over the past couple of weeks. With the Contender Series coming up this summer, and several fighters going to be signed, the promotion is clearing spots. Zane Simon of BloodyElbow took to Twitter to report 13 fighters have been released including fan favorite, Ben Saunders and TUF […]

The post Ben Saunders & Brad Katona Among 13 Fighters Cut From UFC Roster appeared first on MMA News.

UFC Ottawa Results: Merab Dvalishvili Runs Through Brad Katona

UFC Ottawa played host to an exciting bantamweight scrap between former TUF winner Brad Katona and Merab Dvalishvili. As always, LowkickMMA will have you covered with all the results from UFC on ESPN+ 9 from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as they happen. Katona (8-0) entered Saturday night having never tasted defeat. The 27-year-old Canadian entered the […]

The post UFC Ottawa Results: Merab Dvalishvili Runs Through Brad Katona appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Ottawa played host to an exciting bantamweight scrap between former TUF winner Brad Katona and Merab Dvalishvili.

As always, LowkickMMA will have you covered with all the results from UFC on ESPN+ 9 from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as they happen.

Katona (8-0) entered Saturday night having never tasted defeat. The 27-year-old Canadian entered the contest at a slight underdog at +155 (Bovada).

As for Dvalishvili (8-4). The Serra-Longo trained fighter is yet to be in a boring fight. He defeated Terrion Ware at UFC Moscow last September.

Round One

Katona quickly takes to the center of the Octagon and lands a leg kick. Dvalishvili pumps his jab and lands a leg kick. He fakes a flying knee then throws a spinning back fist. Nothing finds its mark but Katona lands a lunging left hand. Katona gets cracked with a big right hand but he eats it and walks forward. Dvalishvili circles right and winds a left hand, he snatches up Katona’s leg for a single leg but Katona wiggles free. Katona looks for a takedown of his own as he presses Dvalishvili against the cage. Dvalishvili reveres the position and puts Katona on his back. Less than one minute to go and Dvalishvili is in top control. He lands a few soft punches and a few hammer fists as the round comes to an end.

Round Two

Katona presses forward to start round two. Dvalishvili takes advantage and scores a takedown. He puts Katona on his back. Katona looks for a choke but there is nothing there. Dvalishvili passes into half guard and lands a few right hands to Katona’s face. He finds his way back to full guard. Dvalishvili lands a nice right hand as both fighters battle for position. Two minutes left but Dvalishvili is doing just enough to keep this fight on the ground. A punch here and there. Katona is just helpless as the referee stands the fighters up. Katona wades in with a left hand and clinches Dvalishili. He lands a knee and presses him against the cage. He tries to trip Dvalishvili but instead gets tripped. The round ends.

Round Three

Katona looks eager to start the final round. He throws a head kick that catches air. Dvalishvili lands a leg kick. Katona lunges in with a lead elbow, Dvalishvili evades and clinches Katona. He tries to throw Katona but he defends and lands a knee. Katona defends a trip and stomps Dvalishvili’s foot. Katona leads with a stiff jab but Dvalishvili times a takedown. He puts Katona on his back again. He lands some ground and pound and moves into Katona’s guard. He postures up and lands some nice offence. One minute to go and both guys are firing. Katona throws his legs up and looks for a Dvalishvili’s heel. The fight ends.

Merab Dvalishvili defeats Brad Katona via unanimous decision (30×3)

The post UFC Ottawa Results: Merab Dvalishvili Runs Through Brad Katona appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Ottawa’s Brad Katona Explains Why John Kavanagh Won’t Be In His Corner

Brad Katona had some well-deserved time off.   The Ultimate Fighter 27 featherweight tournament winner took a much-needed break after a busy 2018, which saw him compete four times in the calendar year.  On May 4th he’ll step back into the oct…

Brad Katona had some well-deserved time off.   The Ultimate Fighter 27 featherweight tournament winner took a much-needed break after a busy 2018, which saw him compete four times in the calendar year.  On May 4th he’ll step back into the octagon opposite Merab Dvalishvili at UFC on ESPN+ 8 in Ottawa. For the SBG […]

The post UFC Ottawa’s Brad Katona Explains Why John Kavanagh Won’t Be In His Corner appeared first on MMA News.