Bantamweights
Garrett Armfield (10-3, 2-1 UFC) vs. Brady Hiestand (7-2, 2-1 UFC)This should be a fun sorting match between two bantamweight prospects. Hiestand seems to have some promotional steam owing to his time on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2021, a run most notable for his war against Ricky Turcios that capped off the season. “Bam Bam” was kept under contract despite losing that fight, and he has looked like a prospect to watch since, albeit one with some flaws. Hiestand is an all-out wrestler and grappler, for better or for worse. Hiestand’s aggression tends to get him clipped early on, and he has historically wound up running out his gas tank against opponents capable of putting up some resistance. Regarding that last point, it was a nice sign to see him stage a third-round comeback to finish Batgerel Danaa in a fight where his wrestling mostly wound up unsuccessful. After a year-plus layoff, Hiestand gets a solid next litmus test in Armfield, who has been staging a quietly successful UFC campaign. Armfield was a solid if unremarkable fighter when the UFC picked him up on late notice in 2022, but he acquitted himself well fighting up a weight class against David Onama before falling victim to a second-round submission. Armfield announced his return back to 135 pounds with a one-sided win over Toshiomi Kazama in August, but a January victory over Brad Katona was his biggest statement to date. Armfield has a fairly straightforward approach that still doesn’t jump off the page, but swiping a win from Katona proves that he has enough athleticism and pace to his game that he can hang at the UFC level. That’s enough to suggest he can neutralize Hiestand for the better part of this fight, with the caveat that the Sikjitsu product does seem to be improving from fight to fight. The pick is Hiestand via decision.
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