In a certain Fight of the Night contender, Brad Katona made history Saturday against Cody Gibson.
Katona (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) outworked Gibson (19-9 MMA, 1-4 UFC) to win the Season 31 bantamweight final of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Katona became the first fighter to win the reality competition series twice. He won Season 27 at featherweight a little more than five years ago. He won the fight with a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27.
Katona found himself outside the UFC after three fights with the promotion, but won the Brave CF title, worked his way back to another shot through “TUF,” and now is in the history books. The 324 combined significant strikes was the most all time in UFC bantamweight history for three-round fights, and second most all time for any fights.
The bantamweight bout was a Season 31 final of “The Ultimate Fighter” and was part of the UFC 292 preliminary card at TD Garden in Boston.
The FIRST person to become a two-time Ultimate Fighter winner
Congratulations on making history, @BradKatona! #TUF31 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/G2isyuYQUi
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) August 20, 2023
Gibson and Katona got out to quick starts and traded firepower from the hands and kicks. Gibson’s size advantage was noticeable, but it didn’t keep Katona from trying to get inside. A pair of heavy left hands had Gibson wearing it, but Gibson threw back with lefts and plenty of pressure throughout the first.
Katona started to find his shots landing early in the second, but Gibson fired right back at him. Both fighters worked for takedowns in the first minute, but the fight stayed on the feet. Midway through the middle frame, Katona landed hard, but Gibson kept throwing, even when he wasn’t in a position to properly throw.
The left side of Katona’s face near his eye started to swell with a big hematoma in the second, but Katona landed a big right hand with a minute left, then put the pressure on to try to get Gibson out of there. Another big left landed with 30 seconds left, then two solid rights down the stretch to put a stamp on the round.
In the final round, they continued to trade leather down the stretch, though it looked like Katona had a little more left in the gas tank. Katona drilled Gibson in the right eye and had him badly hurt and covering his face. But Gibson refused to go away and they traded heavy hands down the stretch – particularly from Katona.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 292 results include:
- Cody Gibson vs. Brad Katona – to win “TUF 31” bantamweight season
- Andre Petroski def. Gerald Meerschaert via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Natalia Silva def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Karine Silva def. Maryna Moroz via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:59
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
