PREVIOUSLY ON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Despite training at Conor McGregor’s gym back in Ireland, bantamweight Brad Katona is selected to be a part of Team Chandler, leading some of his teammates to question his allegiances and grow frustrated with the former Ultimate Fighter winner.
But after winning his quarterfinal fight, Katona was given the opportunity to switch teams and took it, moving to Team McGregor to work with the coaches he works with every day at home.
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Now, the Canadian continues his bid to become the first two-time winner of The Ultimate Fighter when he takes on former teammate Timur Valiev in the first bantamweight semifinal matchup.
It’s time for the next episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler!
UFC APEX
Dana White explains that fighters were given the opportunity to switch teams and Katona was the only one to do so.
Katona rolls into the APEX to thank Chandler and the coaching staff for all their help and time earlier in the season before the Winnipeg native walks into the Team McGregor locker room and joining his new squad in a training session.
McGregor leads the team in balance drills, having them slowly go through kick patterns while balancing on an elbow on the ground. Katona goes through a mitt session with coach Owen Roddy, explaining how training with this team feels like “jet fuel for my soul” and everything just feels incredibly comfortable.
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He gets a Team McGregor jersey from the former two-division world champion, officially marking his switch.
BRAD KATONA FIGHT PREP
Katona expresses that he didn’t feel he showed how exciting he can be in his quarterfinal win over Carlos Vera and that he was “wrongfully released” from the UFC the first time around, acknowledging that it’s on him to prove them wrong. He sees the fight with Valiev as a high-level opportunity to show that he’s very much deserving of a place on the roster going forward.
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He goes through more work with Coach Roddy, calling Valiev the best bantamweight in the competition, besides himself, naturally. The plan is to put Valiev on the back foot, being sure to crowd him. The team goes over his opening round fight with Trevor Wells, breaking down where Katona should be able to have success and what to look out for when they get in the cage together.
Katona believes it comes down to who is the more refined fighter, and that he’s the better of the two in that regard.
TUF HOUSE
Katona has his call home to his girlfriend Katie Saul back in Ireland, explaining that he’s now on Team McGregor and how well it all feels being back with familiar faces. He reads something from the nightly notes he’s been penning in his journal to her, tears streaming down her face over FaceTime.
BANTAMWEIGHT WEIGH-IN
Back at the APEX for the semifinal weigh-in, with Valiev up first. The Russian veteran comes in at 136 pounds, while the newest member of Team McGregor clocks in at 135.5 pounds, making the fight official.
White explains both guys have a chip on their shoulder, calling this the biggest fight of each man’s career. There is a spot in the finale at stake, and Katona has a chance to become the first two-time TUF winner if he’s able to win the whole thing.
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TUF HOUSE
Valiev calls home to his mother, explaining that he’s in the semifinals and that he has another tough fight ahead of him. His mom shares that she’s been checking in on Valiev’s wife and kids, passing on messages from them.
Same with Katona and last week’s semifinalists, you can see how much the brief conversation means to Valiev.
FIGHT DAY
The bantamweights arrive at the UFC APEX, head to their respective dressing rooms, and get prepared to battle it out. Katona looks ultra-confident working with his coaches from home, and Valiev looks crisp and focused as always while shaking loose with the Team Chandler crew.
All that is left is to step in the Octagon and figure out who is moving on to the finale.
Timur Valiev vs. Brad Katona
This was a terrific, competitive fight, with Katona getting cut on the side of his head early, resulting in both men spending the majority of the contest with their bodies and faces stained red.
Valiev appeared to get the better of things in the opening stanza, landing with a little more frequency and heft, while a clash of heads left Katona leaking. The second was much closer, as the Team McGregor man continued to press and found more success with short blows in tight. In the third, Valiev turned to his grappling as his pace slowed and Katona started to find his shots in space, but the Canadian worked free and landed the bigger shots down the stretch.
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Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fight, with White praising each man’s efforts. The respective coaches pointed out the positive elements from their fighter, with the UFC President offering the most balanced assessment of the action.
The fighters stand in the center, awaiting the verdict, and it’s Katona that comes out ahead with a split decision victory.
Official Result: Brad Katona def. Timur Valiev by split decision
Katona advances to the finale, earning the opportunity to become the first two-time winner of The Ultimate Fighter.
Valiev, understandably, is disappointed with the verdict, unsure how he lost the decision. He promises to learn from this result and do better next time, but this effort could very well still earn him a return call to the UFC, regardless of the outcome.
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
The TUF coaches put their trivia knowledge to the test in the Coaches Challenge before Team Chandler lightweights Jason Knight and Kurt Holobaugh go head-to-head in a high-stakes battle and a chance to meet Austin Hubbard in the finale.
