Brad Katona
Age: 26
Nationality: Canadian
MMA Record: 6-0
UFC Record: Debut
Notable Wins: None
Notable Losses: None
Last Fight: Decision win over Stephen Cervantes
Fighter Profile: One of the standouts on TUF 27, Katona was seen as one of the favorites entering the show before it even began. He has been training at SBG Ireland and it’s really worked out well for him as he’s undefeated in his career and improving every time he fights. Katona beat Kyle Phillips on the show via decision in the quarterfinals and then tapped out Bryce Mitchell in the semifials to advance to the finals of the featherweight bracket. Many scouts consider him one of the better featherweight prospects out there and if he wins this show he would become the first Canadian to win a non-Canadian branded season of TUF. Keep your eye on Katona as he looks like the real deal.
Jay Cucciniello
Age: 31
Nationality: British
MMA Record: 8-0, 1 NC
UFC Record: Debut
Notable Wins: None
Notable Losses: None
Last Fight: Submission win over Wesley Hawkey
Fighter Profile: An undefeated prospect out of England, Cucciniello made it to the TUF 27 finals under dubious circumstances. He lost to Bryce Mitchell by decision in the quarter-finals of the show but re-entered the bracket due to an injury and made the most of it with a TKO win over Tyler Diamond to advance to the finals. The Brit has a lot of experience having competed since 2009 and he has fought for EFC Africa which is a big promotion. All of his professional wins have come by stoppage as well which is impressive. However, he was one of the older fighters on the show at age 31 and it remains to be seen how much upside he has compared to his younger counterparts on the show.
Fight Breakdown: While Cucciniello has more experience than Katona, I view the Canadian as the higher-level prospect with more upside. Katona was more impressive on the show and Cucciniello is lucky he’s even in this position as he re-entered the tournament due to injury. Katona is a really good grappler and even though Cucciniello has a good ground game himself I feel like Katona can take him down and control him on the ground. Cucciniello may be tough enough to survive until the final bell, but at the end of 15 minutes I believe it will be Katona who is crowned the TUF 27 featherweight champion.
Prediction: Brad Katona via decision
