Preview: UFC 315 Prelims

Bantamweights

Bekzat Almakhan (11-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Brad Katona (14-4, 4-4 UFC)

ODDS: Almakhan (-180), Katona (+150)

Katona remains consistent to a fault. He first came onto the UFC scene through “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2017, winding up as a solid if unremarkable addition to a deep bantamweight roster. Well-rounded and technically sound, “Superman” could hold his own just about anywhere while lacking the level of dynamism to fully take over his fights. That made for some narrow affairs, but considering Katona proved to be a tough out in each of his fights, it was a bit of a shock when the UFC released him after two straight losses in 2019. Katona chugged back to a few wins on the regional scene before finding his way back to the UFC in 2023—once again through “The Ultimate Fighter,” making him the only two-time winner of the show. Through four fights, this second stint has gone about the same as the first. Katona has picked the pace up a bit more to the point that his fights are clearly more exciting, but he’s consistent at a level that rarely gives his opponents any real surprises, once again resulting in a lot of close fights that depend on pace and physicality. Katona now gets a fight at home against Almakhan, who looks to build on an impressive UFC debut, albeit in a loss. Kazakhstan’s Almakhan got the UFC call early in 2024 and looked like a decent addition. His performances didn’t particularly pop, but he showed a lot of the right ideas in terms of aggression while having enough athleticism to back things up. Little was expected from his UFC debut given that he was tabbed to face Umar Nurmagomedov, who wound up fighting for the bantamweight title within a year. While Nurmagomedov outwrestled him for most of the fight, Almakhan’s ability to clip the Russian early and survive until the final horn was very much considered an overperformance. Like most Katona fights at this level, this should be another nip-tuck affair. Almakhan seems to have the requisite physicality and aggression to get the benefit of the doubt, but this is anyone’s fight. The pick is Almakhan via decision.

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Almakhan vs. Katona