The time for vindication has arrived for Brad Katona.
Katona (8-2) put together a 2-2 mark inside the UFC, though adding in wins over rising star Bryce Mitchell—who now sits inside the top-15—and current UFC competitor Kyler Phillips pushes those numbers to 4-2.
The 29-year-old claimed season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter, taking down Jay Cucciniello at the championship event. From there, he stepped up to face highly-regarded bantamweight prospect and future top-ranked fighter Merab Dvalishvili.
Cutting ties with Katona raised eyebrows, and he's far from keeping quiet about it.
"Your heart drops. It's tough, it tests you. I got an unfair shake, it happens, the people who were in there that turned me down then six months later are fighting, maybe then it is a different outcome," Katona told MMA Empire.
"I lost to Merab, who is top 10. I lost to Hunter, I think I won that fight and got a bad shake on the judges scorecards. I can sit here and complain, but at some point you just move on, that is what I'm doing."
Katona insists he's the identical fighter that captured TUF 27, the same competitor who thrived within the UFC ranks.
The sole distinction? A loaded chip on the shoulder belonging to "Superman," determined to honor the grueling effort poured in over recent years.
"I've got a chip on my shoulder. Y'all must have forgot. I've got almost three years of work that I get to show off. I've gone out of my comfort zone a number of times this year," Katona explained.
"I joined a new boxing gym next to SBG (Straight Blast Gym), walking into a boxing gym you are the former UFC fighter, no one lets you walk in their gym and beat them up. I've always tried to get new looks, out of the comfort zone."
Katona inked a multi-fight agreement with Brave CF, and Thursday brings his maiden appearance inside the cage at Brave CF 50, where he'll clash with Borislav Nikolic (8-0).
"He can start wrapped around my neck if he wants, we can go from there," Katona quipped.
"It isn't being cocky, I know the guys I train with. If he catches me, fair play to him. If anyone in this sport can submit, fair play to you. Is this guy better than Bryce Mitchell? I'd argue no."
