[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag] is no longer a member of the UFC roster.
Canadian bantamweight Katona (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) confirmed rumors of his departure in an Instagram post Tuesday. TSN was first to report the news.
“My release from the UFC came as a surprise, but it hasn’t changed my passion or drive to (continue) my pursuit of being the best in the world,” Katona said.
Katona, 28, entered the UFC on the heels of back-to-back exhibition wins over future UFC fighters Bryce Mitchell and Kyler Phillips on “The Ultimate Fighter 27,” which featured all undefeated athletes.
At the TUF 27 Finale, Katona beat Jay Cucciniello by unanimous decision. The victory earned him a six-figure contract with the UFC and the right to call himself “The Ultimate Fighter.”
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Katona went on to have three more fights in the UFC. In his second promotional outing, Katona defeated Matthew Lopez at UFC 231 in December 2018. Back-to-back decision losses to Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure would be the final bouts of Katona’s UFC stint.
Check out Katona’s full Instagram announcement below:
With the news out now I figured I should address it. My release from the UFC came as a surprise but it hasn’t changed my passion or drive to continuing my pursuit of being the best in the world. Originally I wanted to forego announcing my release until I had something tangible and exciting to produce alongside it. Fortunately I have a great team behind me helping to chart out the path to becoming the best version of myself. There’s lots to look forward to and can’t wait to show it all off to you my supportive family, friends, and fans. Thanks everyone, this year’s going to be exciting
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