Brad Katona’s Oct. 31 EMC title fight is chance to prove he belongs back in the UFC
Brad Katona is rooting for Bryce Mitchell and Kyler Phillips to have success in the UFC.
Katona defeated both men on his way to winning season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The two are still in the UFC, while Katona was cut in September 2019.
Bryce Mitchell currently ranks No. 15 in the UFC featherweight division and Phillips is unbeaten inside the octagon at 1-0. Phillips is set to face Cameron Else at UFC on ESPN 16 this Saturday Oct. 3.
“Whenever you beat someone or lose to someone, you should only hope for success from them, hope they do well because it only adds to you,” Katona said.
“I don’t really understand why I was cut, but that doesn’t matter. I can worry about that all I want or I can just keep performing and let everything else take care of itself.”
Brad Katona seeks opportunity at EMC 6
Katona is relying on his own performance to get him back inside the octagon, although rooting on Mitchell and Phillips doesn’t hurt. The 28-year-old plans to show off his skill set against the EMC bantamweight champion Stipe Brcic at EMC 6 on Oct. 31.
Even better for Katona, he has five rounds to display his arsenal.
The Canadian won just one octagon bout after winning TUF 27. Following back-to-back to Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure, the UFC released him.
If Katona had it his way, he would have resigned with the promotion and competing on Fight Island. Instead, he hasn’t stepped inside the cage since a year ago due to an injury and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s nothing left to lose and I know that is cliche, but I am excited to just show off everything that I’ve done,” Katona said. “If things go as planned, maybe I don’t show off much and it’s over quickly, but I have 25 minutes to do it and I’m excited about that.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCUPvQKAcFn/
World class
His fight with Brcic is a long-time coming, even calling it a 52-week fight camp. His opponent wasn’t always going to be Brcic, but Katona knew his next opponent would be a chance to get back to the UFC.
Brcic is on a three-fight win streak and won twice in one night to capture the EMC strap. Katona has an impressive record of his own, his only losses coming to ranked-UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili and current UFC fighter Hunter Azure.
Katona wants a return to the octagon, but is open to other options as well. For now, Katona plans to answer a lot of questions come Oct. 31.
“I think it is enough, going and winning a title against a guy with a 8-1 record,” Katona said. “I’ve shown time and time again that I am world class, so it is just doing it again. If we do that, we will be undeniable I feel. Wherever we want to go is where we’ll be and it will all take care of itself.”
In an interview with MyMMANews, Katona talks about fighting for a title at EMC 6, quarantining in Canada and working to resign with the UFC. You can see the full interview in the video above.
