Toronto, ON — Canadian bantamweight Brad Katona is the first fighter in history to win The Ultimate Fighter twice, and he’s looking to continue replicating history at UFC 297 this Saturday.
The Toronto-based Pay-Per-View is Katona’s first fight back in the UFC since winning the TUF 31 finale last year. The Canadian, who trains with SBG Ireland alongside John Kavanagh and Conor McGregor, previously won The Ultimate Fighter 27 in 2018. The full circle journey doesn’t stop there.
“If you talk about going full circle, the first time I did The Ultimate Fighter, my first fight was UFC Toronto, it was UFC 231,” observed Katona (13-2) at Wednesday’s UFC 297 media day, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “And now this time I just came from the finale again, and my first fight’s UFC Toronto. So completely full circle, and looking at replicating history and making it full circle and getting the W again.”
For his first fight back in his second stint, the “Multimate Fighter” is paired up with Garrett Armfield, who he has watched compete before.
“I was quite familiar with Armfield before taking this fight. I remember watching his debut against David Onama on short notice. It’s every Sunday morning, we watch the fights with a coffee in the morning, kind of like morning cartoons,” recalled Katona. “There we were, my girlfriend and I, actually kind of cheering for Armfield. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the underdog but hearing about his goats and all that, ‘aww, go get the W, go earn your contract.’ And now I’m fighting him, and that’s fine too. I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m me.”
In terms of how he’s changed coming into his UFC stint, the road back, including a stop in Brave CF, has made Brad Katona a hardened man.
“I’m hardened. I’m hardened,” he admitted. “I’d say I approach fight week very similarly, excitement. When you’re in the UFC I don’t think it’s difficult to be excited. It’s so easy.” The energy just from talking with the UFC staff and media “is everything I wanted, and I’m getting it,” Katona added.
“So there’s that excitement but just the road back was hard, and it tested me. Thinking back about a year ago, pretty much a year ago to the day, I was probably for the first time in my life I was not really happy, and now I’m the happiest I’ve been. So fast forward a year later, look how much can change. It’s going to take a whole lot to change that.”
Watch the full UFC 297 media day appearance by Brad Katona above.
