BOSTON – Brad Katona doesn’t get why Michael Chandler isn’t a fan of him.
Katona (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was dubbed as the diva of Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” due to his specific demands, which appeared to irk his coach, Chandler. But Katona eventually switched to Conor McGregor’s team when he was matched up against his teammate, Timur Valiev, whom he beat in the semifinals.
Katona faces Cody Gibson (19-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC) to crown the “TUF 31” bantamweight tournament winner at Saturday’s UFC 292 event from TD Garden. When asked his thoughts on Chandler predicting a Gibson finish, Katona could only laugh.
“So Chandler still doesn’t like me (laughs)? OK,” Katona told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during UFC 292 media day. “I don’t know why he has a little vendetta against me.
“Maybe it’s because I switched teams and maybe because I’ve been successful or put up resistance. Again, I’ve heard him say if he was in my shoes, he’d be doing the exact same thing. So, that’s kind of funny, not unexpected.”
Gibson is also not a fan of Katona’s. The pair butted heads during the show, and Gibson called Katona’s tape the most boring he’s ever had to study, which Katona disagrees with.
“I’m the most boring tape study he’s ever had. Did he watch the Timur fight?” Katona said. “I felt like my last Brave fight was good, my fights in the UFC were good. Do I care about Cody’s opinion really? No, not at all.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
