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UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley continues on the prelims with a fight in the men's bantamweight division for The Ultimate Fighter finale between Brad Katona and Cody Gibson. Katona has won four straight fights coming into the TUF finale meanwhile, Gibson has won three out of his last four fights. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Katona-Gibson prediction and pick.
Brad Katona (12-2) will be looking to be the first-ever two-time Ultimate Fighter winner coming into this big UFC 292 PPV event. After his UFC departure, he has gone 4-0 and captured the Brave CF bantamweight championship and then went 2-0 on TUF. Katona will be looking to show out against his former teammate Cody Gibson and get back to the big show.
Cody Gibson (19-8) hasn't had to make the walk to the Octagon since 2015 where he went 1-3 during his short stint. Since his departure from the UFC, he has gone 7-2 en route to his appearance on TUF where he went 2-0 with two stoppage victories in the first round. Gibson will be looking to dismantle his former TUF teammate as he gets back to the UFC this weekend at UFC 292.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC 292 Odds: Brad Katona-Cody Gibson Odds
Brad Katona: -164
Cody Gibson: +134
Over 2.5 Rounds: -220
Under 2.5 Rounds: +172
How to Watch Brad Katona vs. Cody Gibson
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
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Why Brad Katona Will Win
Brad Katona is a teammate of Conor McGregor not just on The Ultimate Fighter but also in real life. He has helped him along his journey to becoming a TUF winner once and has helped him on his journey to possibly becoming the first-ever two-time TUF winner as he takes on Cody Gibson this weekend at UFC 292. Katona had to go through the tougher road to the bantamweight portion of the finale when he went up against Carlos Vera and the odds-on favorite to win the whole show Timur Valiev.
He showed his heart and his will to never give up in that fight against Timur Valiev, that is something he will need in this fight against the bigger Cody Gibson. Gibson has a big size advantage over Katona but that hasn't stopped him in the past from putting on his opponents. Katona makes up for his size with his speed and his technical striking and grappling. He is a very well-rounded fighter that just does everything right and if he batters that lead leg of Gibson, who has documented knee issues, and just utilizes his speed and movement to stay outside, he can outstrike Gibson en route to his second TUF season victory.
Why Cody Gibson Will Win
Cody Gibson is very tall and long for the bantamweight division and he puts that to good use. On the feet, he utilizes his long-range weapons like his jab, leg kicks, and front kicks to keep his opponents from just getting within boxing range to land on him. While his striking is serviceable, it's his relentless pressure and grappling game that makes him the most dangerous. He is very good on the mat as he is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and he is takedown game is quite being able to get it to the mat as well as anybody.
On the feet, however, he will be at a disadvantage when it comes to the speed and precision in striking when he takes on Katona. Gibson will need to make this an ugly dogfight because the cleaner the fight is the more success Katona is having. As long as Gibson can get in his face and not give Katona the space he needs to operate then he can become the next TUF winner.
Final Brad Katona-Cody Gibson Prediction & Pick
This is going to be an exciting scrap between these two UFC bantamweight veterans. On the feet, Katona should have a sizable edge just based on his work rate, his technical abilities, and the speed that he possesses. Gibson should be the one to be initiating the grappling and try to get the fight to the mat. We've seen how dominating his ground game is on The Ultimate Fighter and that would be his best path to victory.
While Gibson certainly will have the advantage on the mat, Katona has shown to have good takedown defense and has never been submitted in his 14-fight professional career. Ultimately, Gibson will be looking to be the aggressor trying to get this fight to the mat but Katona will be able to fend off those takedowns or get up and that is where he will strike circles around Gibson for a unanimous decision victory and to become the first-ever two-time TUF winner.
Final Brad Katona-Cody Gibson Prediction & Pick: Brad Katona (-164), Over 2.5 Rounds (-220)
