Welcome to the UFC: Garrett Armfield

Garrett Armfield, UFC Vegas 58
Garrett Armifield, UFC Vegas 58 Weigh-Ins. Credit: Alex Behunin/CagesidePress

UFC Vegas 58 is headlined by former champion Rafael dos Anjos, taking on Rafael Fiziev. In a featherweight bout, David Onama was going to fight Austin Lingo. Lingo pulled out and replacing him is FAC bantamweight champion, Garrett Armfield.

Garrett Armfield
Standing at 5’4″
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
25-years-old
Fighting out of Boca Raton, Florida, US
Training out of Kill Cliff FC
A pro record of 8-2
5 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

How will Armfield do in the UFC:

It sucks that Armfield has to move up a weightclass on short notice to get a UFC opportunity. This will be his first time fighting at featherweight since he was an amateur. Weaknesses with Armfield — there aren’t any glaring holes. He will slow down as the fight goes on but that’s because he puts out so much output. Armfield likes to stand and trade in the pocket but will hang out in the pocket too long. He hasn’t paid for that per se but it causes him to get hit more than he should.

Armfield is a technical boxer on the feet. He gets right after it and just lets his hands go at a high pace. He’s always throwing in combinations but will jab his way on the outside into a good combination. Armfield is a head hunter but does a fine job mixing it up to the body as well. He also throws good leg kicks to attacking everywhere on the opponent.

What makes Armfield a dangerous opponent for anyone is he has the ability to mix it up anywhere. Outside of some crisp boxing, he has some skills on the mat as well. Armfield was a College wrestler and in MMA he does have that in his front and back pocket. He is a good wrestler and has solid jiu-jitsu. He’s submitted lesser guys but is not someone you want hanging on your back.

Armfield is a good signing by the UFC and I think has a high ceiling. I will say he hasn’t beaten anyone worth mentioning so he hasn’t proved himself against any UFC-level competition. He trains with a good team though and is only 25-years-old so the potential is there.

How he matches up with Onama:

My biggest prediction for this fight is that it’s going to be a scrap. I look at this fight like the way Onama made his debut. Onama debuted in the UFC against Mason Jones. A fight he clearly lost but showed a ton of skill and his stock went up even in defeat. Both are really good strikers. Onama has the power advantage easily and Armfield is cleaner with his hands. I look for these guys to brawl and punch for punch I see Onama getting the best of the exchanges. Onama hits hard and can take punishment no problem. Armfield is also fighting up a weight class so power is going to be a big aspect in this fight. Also, these guys already fought as an amateur and Onama won. I’m picking Onama but I see Armfield proving his worth.