Preview: UFC on ESPN 57 Prelims

Bantamweights

Brad Katona (13-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Jesse Butler (12-5, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Katona (-625), Butler (+455)

When the UFC initially cut Katona in 2019, it came as a bit of a surprise. “Superman” had won his season of “The Ultimate Fighter” just a year prior, and while his fighting style wasn’t particularly exciting, he had put together a solid four-fight campaign. A loss to Merab Dvalishvili was understandable, and a subsequent decision defeat to Hunter Azure was a controversial result in a mostly even fight. It was assumed that Katona would find his way back to the UFC in short order, and indeed, he became the first two-time winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” in August with an exciting win over Cody Gibson in his return to the promotion. Unfortunately, it looks like Katona is essentially picking up where he left off after a loss to Garrett Armfield in January—another fight that saw him fight relatively even against what should have been an overmatched opponent and come out on the wrong side of the scorecards. Katona’s a solid athlete with some impressive cardio, but he’s neither a finishing threat nor a particularly aggressive fighter. As a result, he can put together 15 hard minutes while also rarely making a huge impact on the fight. That leaves a potential opening for Butler, who steps into this fight as a bit of an afterthought. Butler looked like a sound if unspectacular prospect on the regional scene with an offense-focused pressure game, but last June saw him get thrown into the deep end for a UFC debut against Jim Miller on a few days’ notice. It lasted all of 23 seconds before Butler got brutally knocked out. That fight was up at lightweight, and Butler makes his debut as a bantamweight here, which is an interesting gambit. He’ll be large for the division, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the speed of 135-pound opponents given his lack of mindfulness for defense. Katona can probably land enough offense over three rounds to coast this one out, but that’s never a sure bet. The pick is Katona via decision.

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