Brad Katona

Cody Gibson vs. Brad Katona
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Katona (-168), Gibson (+142)

Round 1
There could be some history in the making for this bantamweight battle that will kick off the ESPN portion of the prelim card. The first of two victors of Season 31 of TUF will be crowned, with the first coming at 135 pounds. Both men are UFC veterans, but Katona (12-2, 2-2 UFC) is the one who could break new ground by becoming the first two-time TUF winner ever. Of note, his opponent, Gibson (19-8, 1-3 UFC), faced future champ and UFC 292 headliner Aljamain Sterling in his promotional debut back in 2014, where he ultimately dropped a decision. The “six-figure contract” and bragging rights will be awarded to the winner, in a matchup that will be governed by referee Marc Goddard. The former show teammates do not decide to clap hands, and instead they rush out towards one another to strike. They do just that, one after the other, until they end up swinging at the same time and ending up in a clinch. Gibson pushes off and lands a pair of hooks, and Katona knocks him back with a counter. Gibson connects with a clean right hand, and Katona shakes it off and gets off a jab. Katona comes up hitting nothing but air when he looses hooks, and Gibson attempts to reach him with a front kick and fails. Katona sticks his man with a left, and Gibson ducks down to get off a body kick. Katona retaliates with a leg kick, and Gibson dips and strikes while avoiding offense that wings towards him. Both fighters are amped up and trading shots, and Gibson pushes out two jabs and dings Katona with a left hand. Gibson trips on his way in, and this allows Katona the briefest amount of time to shake it off. Gibson clubs his man with a right, and Katona stands firm and bashes him with a solid left hook. Gibson is not remotely concerned as he meanders forward, and he swings himself into a clinch. Gibson absorbs a right hand and misses with a second, and Katona counters with a left that marks up Gibson’s eye. Gibson continues to surge forward, hurling offense and making Katona have to match his pace. “The Renegade” mixes things up with a chopping kick, and he shrugs off anything that Katona lands on him to throw his own heavy blows. The two tie up, but nothing comes up it other than a right hand from Gibson on the break. Gibson tries to follow it, and he ends up lobbing strikes that are way off the mark. Katona strings together several low kicks, and they both work the body. The furiously paced round ends with a sharp left from Katona.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gibson
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Gibson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Gibson

Round 2
The bantamweights come back to the middle to start off the round, and Katona is the first to spring into action with a combination of fists. Katona then switches to a leg kick, and he rips a left to the body and nails Gibson with a right over the top. Gibson steels himself and throws back with gravitas, drawing a takedown attempt out of the Canadian. Gibson drills his man with an uppercut, and he pressures forward until they tie up and trade additional uppercuts. Katona does not register a leg kick, and he pops Gibson with a jab. Gibson does the same with his own jab and a follow-up right hand, and the two are taking turns to smack the other around. Katona flicks out a jab, and Gibson counters him with an uppercut and a body shot. Gibson walks face-first into a left hand, and he fires off a right hook and then goes to the body. Gibson again eats a few strikes, and the two start fighting in a phone booth and lay into each other. Gibson slings a right hand that bounces off the temple, and Katona smiles and delivers a right hand on the chin and a clean left shortly thereafter. Gibson lands a leg kick, gets up close to land a body shot, and then backs off when Katona scores with two hooks. Gibson overswings with a left hand, and Katona tags him a few times while he is recoiling. Katona suddenly goes up high with a kick, and frowns when it is blocked. Gibson misses the mark with a huge uppercut, and a few right hands from Gibson have developed some swelling around Katona’s left eye. Gibson targets it with a clubbing right and an elbow, and Katona tries to tie him up for a moment but ends up eating a few clinch strikes before releasing. Katona sits down on a right hand, timing it perfectly as Gibson ducked right into it, and Gibson powers forward to clinch up and recover. Katona jumps at him with a knee, and he fires off a short salvo of strikes that knock Gibson back again. Katona keeps Gibson honest with pawing jabs and a right hand, and Gibson appears to be fading. Katona lines up a right hand down the middle, and the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Katona
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Katona
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Katona

Round 3
Gibson waves to the crowd to get them fired up, and the audience reacts positively. Going into the last round, it could be all tied up, and they treat things as such as they get right after it. Gibson walks through the fast fists that fly at his face so that he can drive a right hand home, and Katona reels but comes back. Katona slides to the side and avoids the huge hooks, and he starts peppering Gibson with jabs. When Gibson changes this up to let go with his own jabs, Katona lets him have it with big punches. Gibson parries a jump knee and a kick to the body, and he drills Katona with a right hand down the pipe. Katona backpedals and eats another one like a plate of poutine, and the two let the other have it. This results in them coming together for a brief clinch, and Katona pushes him back and lets fly a high kick that slaps into the shoulder. Katona kicks with his other leg, and he books Gibson in the calf when he speedily moves. Gibson takes a punch to give one back, and he stings Katona with a right hook. Gibson plants two uppercuts on the chin, and he slides back and pops Katona with a clean right. Katona ignores a leg kick, and he knees the body and sneaks in a short right. Katona loads up and connects with a right, and he digs a few punches to the body and might have hurt Gibson. A few left hands force Gibson to cover his eye, and it is swelling badly. Gibson backs up to the wall as Katona lays into him, until Gibson decides to activate and sling fire back at him. Katona staggers back and then rushes back into action, and the two proceed to give it everything they have in an absolutely terrific brawl. Katona lands, Gibson gets him back, Katona stings him and Gibson shakes Katona up. This back-and-forth trading ends only when they tie up to catch their breath. Gibson pushes off and then sprints at Katona, who is backing away to try to let time expire. Gibson reaches him and blasts him with a few punches, and this all-action thriller comes to a close – unless there is an unexpected “sudden victory” round in the event of a draw. No matter who gets their hand raised, this is an instant “Fight of the Night” frontrunner as well as a scrap that might earn “Fight of the Year” consideration when it is all said and done. The two bantamweights embrace, having put on a display reminiscent of Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Katona (29-28 Katona)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Katona (29-28 Katona)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Katona (29-28 Katona)

The Official Result
Brad Katona def. Cody Gibson via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)