Addressing the news on Instagram, Katona released the following statement:

“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.”

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Katona (8-2) relocated to Dublin, Ireland to train with SBG alongside the likes of Conor McGregor and Gunnar Nelson. Starting his career at 6-0 he joined the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 27 in 2018, which notably was made up entirely of undefeated competitors.

Katona got the better of Kyler Phillips and 2019 Submission of the Year winner Bryce Mitchell en route to winning the show at featherweight by earning a unanimous decision against Jay Cucciniello. He picked up another unanimous decision win in his next outing, against Matthew Lopez, before dropping two straight decisions.

The 2-2 run was apparently enough for the UFC to part ways with the Canadian. The move is somewhat reminiscent of Elias Theodorou’s dismissal from the company, and once again puzzling given the promotion is always on the lookout for new stars in Canada. Something lacking since the retirement of Georges St. Pierre and departure of Rory MacDonald.

Katona would no doubt be a good fit for Bellator, however, especially given the company visits the U.K. and Ireland on a regular basis. The PFL could be another potential destination for the 28-year-old.

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As expected, the colorful ‘Violent Bob Ross’ will get another crack the the UFC. Late Wednesday, the promotion announced that Luis Pena, he of the Bob Ross hairdo and laid back attitude, would face SBG Ireland’s Richie Smullen at the TUF 27 finale. Both fighters were forced off the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter due to injury.

#TUF27 fighters meet in Vegas.@ViolentBobRoss & @Richie_Smullen join the TUF Finale on July 6th. pic.twitter.com/MOYEoP9JZu

— UFC (@ufc) June 14, 2018

Pena (4-0) defeated Jose Martinez Jr. in the TUF 27 quarter-finals, only to suffer a foot injury that prevented him from continuing on in the show. That saw the 6″3 lightweight favorite on the sidelines for the remainder of the season, but given months have passed since filming, he’s ready to get back in action.

Playing the role of the happy little bush man standing opposite ‘Violent Bob Ross’ will be Richie Smullen. Smullen (3-0-1) was another favorite on TUF 27, only for circumstance to pull him out of his quarterfinal bout. Cramping up badly in both calves just hours before his fight against Allan Zuniga, Smullen was deemed unfit to compete. Zuniga advanced (the visibly upset fighter was granted a knockout bonus by Dana White), and Smullen, like Pena, was left on the outside, looking in.

Hopefully, both men will have better luck when they face off at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale on July 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

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In just the third fight of his UFC career, Israel Adesanya will be headlining a card. On Monday, the UFC announced via social media that ‘The Last Stylebender’ would face Brad Tavares at the Ultimate Fighter 27 finale in July. Adesanya vs. Tavares will serve as the bout’s main event. It’s an incredible pace for the flashy striker, who has already scored two victories this year.

Adesanya made his debut in February at UFC 221, making an immediate impression when he pummeled Rob Wilkinson on route to a second round TKO and Performance of the Night bonus. He followed that up with a split decision over Marvin Vettori at UFC on FOX 29 earlier this month in Glendale, AZ. That moved the kickboxing champ to a perfect 13-0, and a clash with Tavares, who also fought on the UFC Glendale card.

Hawaii’s Brad Tavares (17–4) will head into the TUF 27 Finale in Las Vegas on a four fight win streak. With a full head of steam, he should represent a solid step up for Israel Adesanya. Among Tavares’ notable wins of late are TUF Nations winner Elias Theodoreau and the always dangerous Thales Leites.

The Ultimate Fighter 27 finale takes place July 6 at the Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, NV.

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A staple in regular UFC programing regardless of the network, The Ultimate Fighter has had one hell of a run, but many prognosticators believe the reality show has run its course. Yet  each and every season produces a handful of highlights that allow fans to still enjoy the show from time to time, and this season is no different.

In the early days of TUF, far less fluff was needed to help promote the show. Deciding each season’s “gimmick” however has become an increasingly difficult task, and a task we don’t envy. Be that as it may, the UFC brass hit a home run with season 27, albeit we’re just a couple of episodes in.

TUF ‘Undefeated’s first episode aired to mixed reviews. Regardless of your personal feelings toward the show, you can’t deny the charisma and talent pouring out of one of the cast members this season, Luis Pena, otherwise known as ‘Violent Bob Ross’.

Cageside Press had a chance to speak with Pena about how he found out about this season of TUF, how he stays so calm in the cage, and more.

Prior to trying out for the series, it was business as usual for Pena. He was training for a professional boxing match when he saw a flyer for the new season of The Ultimate Fighter entitled ‘Undefeated.’ “I saw the flyer the Thursday before I was supposed to weigh in,” said Pena.

“I was getting ready to cut weight and I saw this flyer on Instagram for the new season of The Ultimate Fighter ‘Undefeated’. I just knew at that moment, when I saw the word undefeated, I knew that this right here was my ticket to the UFC.”

Whether or not you’re a world class athlete, we have all had that feeling of Divine intervention, that moment when hard work intersects with opportunity. Some call it fate, some call it God in the machine, Pena believes it’s his destiny.

“Quite literally, I was sitting in the sauna and my eyes lit up when I saw the word Undefeated,” he said, “because I knew right then, as soon as I saw that word, this was the opportunity I needed to make my career.”

To qualify for this season of TUF, fighters obviously needed to have an unblemished record. Pena fits the bill. However, he has had some close calls. His most recent opponent, Kobe Wall, boasted a perfect record before the fight. The same could not be said after the fight for Wall, but Pena definitely took some damage.

Pena recalled that “when I fought Kobe Wall, I fractured the orbital bone on the left side [of my face] in the first round, and sustained a really, really bad concussion.”

Yet ‘Violent Bob Ross’ had no problem dealing with the adversity. “It wasn’t a thing for me,” Pena said. “I didn’t even know it happened.”

That kind of toughness is hard to come by, however, Pena has grit in spades. Moreover, the level of maturity that Pena has for such a young fighter is flat out impressive, quite frankly he is the calm eye of the storm.

How does this 24-year-old fighter from St. Charles, MO have ice water running through his veins? “It’s a story that not too many people know about yet,” says Pena.

“Two years ago I was training in Miami at American Top Team, I was late for practice, so I’m rushing down the highway. I was merging from the center lane to the far left [lane]. As I merged, my back-left tire popped, it sent me into the air, [the car] did a bunch of rolls, the car hit both guard rails and got so stuck in one that they had to cut the guard rail with the jaws-of-life.”

And if that didn’t give you an insight to this man’s resolve, try this.

“I never lost consciousness, I remember, I landed but I was upside down, and I was feeling myself thinking, am I alive? There was 30 seconds where I was rolling in the air, and I remember I just excepted that I was probably going to die at some point, that was it.”

Pena would sum his whole motto up with these words: “The moment I excepted I was going to die, this fighting thing became no big deal.”

Pena has that special DNA makeup, the kind of fighter that goes out on his shield. And he’s living up to his rather clever moniker of ‘Violent Bob Ross’, as although he’s not an artist in the traditional sense, Pena very much is a martial artist.

“A lot of people don’t know that I wrestled for 10 years before I ever trained MMA,” ‘Violent Bob Ross’ said. “Four years ago, I walked into Westside MMA in Littlerock, AR and started my MMA journey.” Now, he’s an artist in the cage.

Luis Pena a.k.a. ‘Violent Bob Ross’ continues his journey this week on TUF 27: ‘Undefeated’ on FS1. The talented lightweight, part of Team Cormier, will take on Team Miocic’s Jose Martinez.

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