Brad Katona wins TUF 31 bantamweight tournament, first 2x Ultimate Fighter winner
Brad Katona made UFC history tonight at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts, as he became the first mixed martial artist to win two seasons of the Ultimate Fighter.
In the TUF 31 season finale, part of the UFC 292 preliminary fight card, Katona defeated Cody Gibson by way of unanimous decision.
Welcome BACK to the UFC, @BradKatona!
Katona wins our first #TUF31 finale by decision at #UFC292 👏 pic.twitter.com/6NE3Cxn8Em
— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023
The 31-year-old Katona who is from Canada and now living in Ireland, defeated Jay Cucciniello in 2018 to win season 27 of the Ultimate Fighter. With that win he earned a UFC contract but went 1-2 with the promotion and was released.
Following his brief tenure with the promotion, “Superman” Katona went to Brave Combat Federation where he picked up four consecutive victories.
Katona was then invited to participate in TUF 31 where he was coached by Michael Chandler on a team of UFC veterans. After Chandler’s team won seven on eight first-round fights, Katona was then offered an opportunity to join Team McGregor.
As a regular training partner of Conor McGregor at SBG Ireland, the move was a no-brainer for Katona.
He then won his next fight and moved to the finale. After defeated Gibson tonight, Katona will earn a second six-figure UFC contract.
