Canadian bantamweight Brad (Superman) Katona used his ground game to overpower his opponent, defeating American Jesse Butler by unanimous decision in Saturday's UFC Fight Night pre-match event.
The judges scored the fight 30-26, 30-27, 30-27 in favor of Katona (16-3-0), improving her UFC record to 4-3-0.
The main event at the KFC Yum Center pits fourth-ranked American Jared (The Killa Gorilla) Cannonier of the middleweight division against seventh-ranked Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov.
At 5-foot-6, Katona is four inches shorter in both height and reach than Butler, who competed as a lightweight in his other UFC fight. Butler entered the fight on two days' notice and lasted just 23 seconds before being knocked out by veteran Jim Miller.
Butler (12-6-0) weighed in at 154.5 pounds for his fight with Miller in June 2023 and 136 pounds for his fight with Katona.
Katona, the favorite, was kicked by Butler early in round 1, then landed a right to the head, and Butler grabbed Katona's legs. Katona was on the ground for much of the round, but while Katona was in control, she wasn't able to do much damage.
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At the start of the second round, Butler hit Katona in the head with a right punch, but when Katona blocked Butler with a knee, Butler fell to the ground again. Butler hit Katona in the center of the forehead with an elbow, and Katona took control again and broke through Butler's guard with his fists.
Butler needed a stoppage to win, so he started throwing punches in the third round and managed to keep his opponent on his feet for most of the round. But Katona lived up to expectations and threw many right hands.
Butler ignored the defensive back's instructions and tried to kick, but slipped and Katona tackled him again with 90 seconds left.
The 32-year-old fighter, who is originally from Winnipeg and currently lives in Dublin, lost to American fighter Garret Armfield by a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the preliminary round of the UFC 297 promotional event.
Katona, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, is fighting in the UFC for the second time after winning his second fight on “The Ultimate Fighter.”
The Canadian fighter won the reality show's 27th season as a featherweight in July 2018 and won the 31st season as a bantamweight last August. During his time in the UFC, Katona won four consecutive fights in the Brave Fighting Alliance in Bahrain.
Prior to joining the UFC, Butler had won five straight fights in smaller events.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 8, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
