Brad Katona beats Cody Gibson to become first two-time TUF champ; Conor McGregor celebrates

Brad Katona is the first two-time TUF winner after outlasting a tough Cody Gibson in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 31 at UFC 292.

Katona took home the TUF trophy after a three-round war with Gibson, earning 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 scores on the prelims that hosted the reality show tournament’s finale.

Gibson pushed the pace early with Katona, forcing the Canadian to fight for every inch of progress in the octagon. But as the fight went into deep waters, Gibson faded as Katona came on strong, working combinations that left Gibson’s right eye a swollen mess.

Katona’s longtime SBG Ireland teammate, former two-division champion and TUF 31 coach Conor McGregor, celebrated the win on Twitter. Katona joined McGregor’s squad of up-and-comers after a brief stint on the team led by Michael Chandler, who coached a team of UFC veterans that badly routed their lesser-experienced counterparts on the show.

In the finals, it was Katona repping McGregor’s blue and Gibson with the red worn by Team Chandler. Katona’s TUF win comes five years after he captured the TUF 27 featherweight finale. On TUF 31, he competed as a bantamweight and outpointed Carlos Vera and Timur Valiev to earn a spot in the finale.