Does Brad Katona Train With Conor McGregor and John Kavanagh? All We Know About UFC Star’s Teammates, Coaches, and Gym

Brad Katona was cut from the UFC in 2020 following two consecutive losses. This was surprising for many. The Canadian had been undefeated in his MMA career before these losses to future #1 ranked Merab Dvalishvili, and Hunter Azure, who was undefeated at the time.  Katona had come into the UFC after winning season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter, and as such, had a lot of cache and recognition among fans.

However, this setback didn’t faze ‘Superman’ who went on an undefeated streak at Brave CF before being selected to appear on Team Michael Chandler on The Ultimate Season 31 last year. He moved to stablemate Team Conor McGregor in the semi-finals and won again, earning another UFC contract. As the 32-year-old gets ready to face his first real UFC opponent in three years, let us take a look at his combat sports journey and training arrangements.

Brad Katona moved to Dublin to train under better coaches

Except for the two above-mentioned losses, Brad Katona has won all thirteen of his other pro-MMA fights in his career. The Winnipeg native started his martial arts training at a very young age. He started learning karate at five and was already a black belt at the age of 14.

‘Superman’ has been training multiple martial arts since he was a child. He went to the Dakota Collegiate School, where he competed in wrestling tournaments. Katona is also a former amateur boxer, having competed in the 2011 edition of the Canadian Golden Gloves tournament.

His MMA journey began at the Winnipeg Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, where he started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2010, he started his MMA career in the amateur circuit. He turned pro in 2014 and won his first fight with ease, knocking Michael Hay out in the first round.

He moved to Dublin, Ireland in 2016 to train under John Kavanagh at the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) there. This, of course, made him teammates with UFC megastar Conor McGregor, who trains at the same gym, and on whose team he won TUF 31.

Katona credits coaches and teammates for success

Katona defeated Cody Gibson via a unanimous decision in a thrilling bantamweight bout for the TUF 31 finale on UFC 292 last year. Their fight won the Fight of the Night honors and both men were signed to the UFC after their thrilling performances. In the post-fight press conference, he said that he had his sight set on the bantamweight title and credited his team for his success.

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“I feel like I’ve improved a lot since my first TUF win. I’ve been training with some of the best coaches and teammates in the world and I’ve learned a lot from them. I think I showed that I can hang with the top guys in the division and I’m ready for the next challenge,” he added. Do you think Brad Katona can be a title contender in the UFC? Let us know in the comments section below.

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