UFC Cuts Ties With Record-Breaking Veteran On 2-Fight Losing Streak

Forbes

5 hours ago

In professional sports, it's almost never about what you've done in the past. It's almost always about what you've accomplished lately. UFC CEO Dana White and his brass make moves every week to adjust the roster and the current week is no exception.
Veteran Brad Katona found that out firsthand on Monday when the 33-year-old was reportedly removed from the UFC's active roster. Katona is the only fighter in history to win The Ultimate Fighter twice.
He won as a featherweight in 2018 and again as a bantamweight in 2023. It shouldn't be undersold how difficult it is to win two TUF seasons, to do it in different weight classes—and to have the later one happen in a lighter division.
The release ends Katona's second stint in the UFC. After he won TUF in 2018 with wins over Kyler Phillips and Bryce Mitchell, Katona won his first two fights in the UFC.
He then lost unanimous decisions to Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure just before the pandemic. Katona was released and then signed with Brave CF, where he won four straight before getting another crack at the UFC through another stint on TUF.
After battling past Carlos Vera, Timur Valiev, and Cody Gibson to win TUF for the second time, he was officially back in the UFC. In January 2024, Katona lost a unanimous decision to Garret Armfield in his first fight on the main roster since 2019.
However, he defeated Jesse Butler via unanimous decision in June 2024 before losing back-to-back fights to Jean Matsumoto and Bekzat Almakhan via first-round KO. The loss to Almakhan was significant because it was the first time Katona had ever been stopped in his professional MMA career.
No one will ever question Katona's toughness, heart, and resilience. Almost no one has battled as hard to get to, remain, and return to the UFC.
That said, Katona has some obvious holes in his overall package. He almost never finishes opponents. Instead, he battles hard and competes in a lot of really close fights that produce debatable decisions from the judges.
There isn't a world where he will be a legit title contender in any weight class within his region. At best, he can be a tough test for a rising young fighter. It doesn't appear the UFC has much interest in a fighter with that profile, thus the release.
I can see Katona going to the Professional Fighters League and competing on a high level for their championship at 135 or 145 pounds. We saw Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Ryan Bader, and Corey Anderson leave the UFC and enjoy championship success with Bellator and/or the PFL.
Perhaps Katona could follow their lead. In any case, it'll be interesting to see which direction he's headed. At 32, he could have some fight left in him, but it probably won't be with the UFC again.
The promotion is in Baku on Saturday for a special Fight Night event. Here's a look at the card scheduled for June 21.