Preview: UFC Fight Night 225 Prelims

Bantamweights

Garrett Armfield (8-3, 0-1 UFC) vs. Toshiomi Kazama (10-3, 0-1 UFC)

ODDS: Armfield (-166), Kazama (+140)

It is nice to see Kazama get a second fight in the UFC, as the “Silent Finisher” has some potential as a bantamweight grappler. He has some functional striking, but taking things to the mat is where Kazama does his best work. He put together a number of submission finishes prior to his entry into the Road to UFC tournament in 2022, which saw him outwrestle Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti before getting blasted by Rinya Nakamura in the final. Kazama teased beforehand that he would retire if he lost to Nakamura, but he is instead back against a fellow UFC sophomore. Armfield is a solid if unspectacular prospect with a decent amount of power to his game, and he impressed in a late-notice debut against David Onama a shade over a year ago before suffering a second-round submission loss. Kazama could easily win a grind—this figures to be an ugly fight, in general—but the lean is that Armfield has enough in terms of athleticism advantages and grappling skill to keep a decent amount of this fight on the feet and separate himself as the better striker. The pick is Armfield via decision.

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