Cody Gibson MMA: When will the Team Chandler fighter compete for the illustrious TUF 31 title? All you need to know

Cody Gibson will meet Brad Katona in the TUF 31 bantamweight championship.

Earlier this year, a handful of former UFC fighters and upcoming prospects went toe-to-toe on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler were the coaches of TUF 31, with McGregor coaching the prospects and Chandler getting the veterans.

Once the season concluded, the four finalists were all from Chandler’s team. In the lightweight division, Kurt Holobaugh will take on Austin Hubbard. Meanwhile, Gibson and Katona are the last remaining bantamweights looking to secure a UFC contract.

The TUF 31 championship matchups will take place this Saturday, August 19, during the preliminary portion of UFC 292.

In 2014, Cody Gibson made his UFC debut, losing against UFC 292 headliner Aljamain Sterling by unanimous decision. ‘The Renegade' lost two of his next three bouts before parting ways with the promotion. After bouncing around the regional scene, he defeated Mando Gutierrez and Rico DiSciullo to earn a spot in the TUF 31 finale.

Gibson could have his hands full on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Brad Katona fought in the UFC four times after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 27. Besides his win in the TUF 27 finale, ‘Superman’ lost two of three Octagon appearances before parting ways with the promotion. Katona defeated Carlos Vera and Timur Valiev during TUF 31.

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Cody Gibson admits he’s not a fan of Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor’s appearances on TUF 31 featured some of his antics that made him a worldwide superstar. Some fans and fighters seemed to enjoy McGregor’s personality, but Cody Gibson wasn’t one of those people.

During the UFC 292 media day, Gibson had this to say about how his perception of ‘The Notorious’ changed over the past few months:

“As far as McGregor goes, I met him a few times. I used to be represented by Paradigm Sports Management back in the day. We had crossed paths a few times, fought on the same card actually when he fought Dustin Poirier in his first fight against DP. So, I’d been around him a little bit, but definitely got to know him a little bit more. Not my favorite guy, a bit erratic, not sure what you’re gonna get with him.”

Gibson has a massive opportunity waiting for him at UFC 292. If the 35-year-old losses against Brad Katona, he might never fight in the UFC again. It’ll be intriguing to see if ‘The Renegade’ can stop Katona’s momentum and emerge victorious on Saturday night.