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UFC 297: Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis continues on the prelims with a fight in the bantamweight division between Brad Katona and Garrett Armfield. Brad Katona will be making his second walk in his second stint with the UFC after winning Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter against Cody Gibson meanwhile, Armfield was finally able to get his first victory in his UFC career in his last fight. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Katona-Armfield prediction and pick.
Brad Katona (13-2) got his shot in the UFC after becoming the winner of Season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter only to be let go just three fights into his career after a 1-2 start. He was then given a second chance on Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter and became the only fighter to win the show two times. Now, he looks to make the most of his second opportunity when he gets to fight in his home country of Canada when he takes on fellow bantamweight Garrett Armfield.
Garrett Armfield (9-3) stepped up on short notice and up a weight class to take on a familiar foe David Onama who he had previously fought as an amateur many years ago. Ultimately, he was submitted in round two after a good first round of that fight but he was able to get back on track in his most recent fight knocking out Toshiomi Kazama in round one. Armfield will be looking to get on his first winning streak in the UFC when he takes on Brad Katona this weekend at UFC 297.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC 297 Odds: Brad Katona-Garrett Armfield Odds
Brad Katona: -218
Garrett Armfield: +180
Over 2.5 rounds: -190
Under 2.5 rounds: +145
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Why Brad Katona Will Win
Brad Katona became the first-ever fighter to win The Ultimate Fighter twice as he embarks on his second stint with the UFC. Katona fought through some adversity against Cody Gibson but ultimately was able to weather the storm and really took it to Gibson in the latter portion of the fight securing the unanimous decision victory and becoming the winner of TUF.
Katona gets to take on Garrett Armfield to start his second chance with the UFC. Armfield showed his toughness when he took a short-notice chance against David Onama and then he showed off his power against Toshimo Kazama to secure his first UFC victory. Katona on the other hand has a plethora of experience against high-level opposition inside the UFC and outside which should play a vital role in this matchup. How easily Armfield was taken down and submitted against someone who's primarily a striker like Onama showed the best path to victory for Katona in this matchup. If Katona can mix in the takedowns with his pressure on the feet he could be too much for Armfield and extend his winning streak to eight.
Why Garrett Armfield Will Win
Garrett Armfield got the call up on short notice to take a fight at featherweight against familiar foe David Onama who he eventually succumbed to via arm-triangle choke in the second round. However, he was able to get back on track in his second fight with the promotion with a first-round knockout of Toshiomi Kazama.
Armfield gets to take on one of the more experienced fighters that he's faced in his career when he takes on former two-time TUF winner Brad Katona. Katona is as tough as they come but as we saw in his fight on the TUF finale he is quite hittable and the way that Armfield's thunderous strikes were landing, there is a chance he could make a dent in that chin and potentially put him away. If Armfield can avoid getting taken down and controlled, he has a good chance at landing the kill shot and getting on the first winning streak of his UFC career.
Final Brad Katona-Garrett Armfield Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a fun scrap to close out the prelims when these two bantamweights get locked into the octagon. Katona may not be seen as the most entertaining fighter during his first stint with the UFC but his all-out war with Cody Gibson was one of the all-time best TUF finales in the history of the show. That Katona that showed up to run through the TUF tournament beating guys like Carlos Vera, Timur Valiev, and Cody Gibson will beat Garrett Armfield even on his best night. As long as we don't see any regression in Katona's game from fight to fight, he should be able to go in there and mix in his wrestling with striking to just overwhelm Armfield and take a clear-cut decision to extend his winning streak to eight.
Final Brad Katona-Garrett Armfield Prediction & Pick: Brad Katona (-218), Over 2.5 Rounds (-190)
