Episode 5 Recap | The Ultimate Fighter Season 31

Carlos Vera explains that he moved to the United States when he was four years old, immigrating from Ecuador. He started martial arts to learn the language and learn how to defend himself.

His home video from Falls Church, Virginia, rolls, where he trains at Ryan Hall’s 50/50 Gym. He’s been in martial arts since he was a child, training taekwondo and capoeira, then picking up grappling in his 20s, which is when he transitioned to MMA.

GET TO KNOW: Meet Brad Katona | Meet Carlos Vera

Vera lives away from his family now, and his motivation is to represent his family and his country on the biggest stage in the sport. Highlights of some of his fights run as he explains he’s 12-3 as a professional, fighting with a unique blended style that mixes all of his background disciplines together.

“I am here to fight my fight. I am here to be the best that I can be. And I am here to win.”

CARLOS VERA FIGHT PREP

Katona goes through his prep, explaining in a confessional interview that he’s a very cerebral fighter that makes reads and adjustments from fight-to-fight while working on grappling drills with Sean Soriano and Robert Drysdale.

He breaks down Vera, suggesting that what makes him good is that he knows himself as a competitor, knows his style.

“I think this will be a hard fight to finish in the two rounds, but I believe I have the cardio advantage, the striking advantage, and the grappling advantage,” he offers.

Chandler highlights leg locks and Vera’s guillotine as dangers, but praises Katana’s Fight IQ and overall sharpness, getting excited about the possibility of Team Chandler sweeping the opening rounds of the competition.

TUF HOUSE

Katona and Team McGregor’s Lee Hammond, who also trains at SBG Ireland, sit around discussing how the Winnipeg native landed at the Dublin gym, with Katona explaining that he and his girlfriend, who is also a fighter, liked what Kavanagh had to say as they were exploring things.

It’s been six years since Katona moved to Dublin, which he acknowledges is tough because he’s away from family and friends, but praises the nature and varied landscapes of Ireland as being a stark difference from growing up in The Prairies as his home video runs.

Highlights from his brief UFC tenure roll, showing his fight with Matthew Lopez at UFC 231 in Toronto, which he won by unanimous decision, before losing back-to-back fights to Merab Dvalishvili and his current Team Chandler teammate Hunter Azure and being released.

He remembers the day he was released, admitting he cried the whole way home, before playfully asking whether he would be known as “The Ultimate Ultimate Fighter” or “The Multimate Fighter” should he win the competition this season.

WEIGH-INS

Katona is first to the scale, coming in at 135.5 pounds. Dana White explains Katona was undefeated when he won Season 27 and has gone undefeated in four fights since being released, saying he absolutely deserves another shot in the UFC.

White calls Vera a “dynamic fighter” that has “been knocking at the UFC door for quite some time.” The Team McGregor man also comes in at 135.5 pounds and we have ourselves a fight.

They face off, shake hands, and it’s on to the fight.

FIGHT DAY

Vera takes a moment outside by the pool before departing the house for the UFC APEX, mediating in the sun.

Katona rolls into the facility and his dressing room, explaining, “When I’m free, I’m dangerous, and I’m going to be free in there when I fight Carlos.”

Both men get wrapped, get loose, and get set to make the walk. Vera is four years older and has a four-inch reach advantage.

Brad Katona vs. Carlos Vera

Team Chandler just keeps posting victories, as Katona leaned on his grappling to drag Vera to the canvas and grind out a win.

Vera had the most success of any Team McGregor fighter, landing well in space, especially with kicks to the body, and making Katona work in the grappling exchanges. But the former Ultimate Fighter winner was relentless in his pursuit of the takedown and strong on the ground, threatening from the back in the first and keeping Vera’s shoulders pinned to the mat for large portions of the second round.

Despite it being a close fight that seemed destined for a third round, the judges returned a decision, much to McGregor’s frustration.

Official Result: Brad Katona def. Carlos Vera by unanimous decision

McGregor enters the cage and congratulates both athletes before the decision is read, calling on the judges to let them fight three rounds before turning his focus to Chandler, asking him if he’s ever fought five rounds for a world title. Losing is clearly getting to the former two-weight UFC champion.