TORONTO – It looks like everything was meant to be for [autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag] to be fighting at UFC 297.
Katona (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a two-time winner of The Ultimate Fighter, feels he’s hitting a “full circle” in his fighting career this Saturday when he takes on [autotag]Garrett Armfield[/autotag] to close out the preliminary card of UFC 297. It’s a weird coincidence, but also a good omen for Katona’s return to the octagon.
“If we’re talking about full circle, the first time I did The Ultimate Fighter, my first fight was UFC Toronto. It was UFC 231,” Katona explained at Wednesday’s UFC 297 media day. “And now, this time I came from the finale again and my first fight is UFC Toronto. So, completely full circle and looking to replicate history and getting that W again.”
Katona won The Ultimate Fighter tournament in July 2018. He then made his first regular UFC appearance at UFC 231 in Toronto in December of that same year.
The Canadian went on to lose his next two bouts and was cut from the promotion. Almost four years after his UFC release, Katona joined this past season of TUF and won it for a second time. Now, in his first fight after winning the show, he fights in Toronto.
Katona is determined to keep this second UFC run mirroring his first just for the first fight back. He intends to get his hand raised against Armfield (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and get his UFC career going once again.
“I was quite familiar with Armfield before taking this fight,” Katona said. “I remember watching his debut against David Onama on short notice. Every Sunday morning we watch the fights with some coffee, kind of like morning cartoons. There we were, my girlfriend and I, kind of cheering for Armfield. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the underdog. Go get the W, go get the contract. Now I’m here fighting him and that’s fine too. I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m me.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.