Garrett Armfield and Brady Hiestand meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 58 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 preview
In this battle between bantamweights with identical UFC records, Armfield (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) enters as a winner of back-to-back fights; last August, he knocked out Toshiomi Kazma and followed up with a unanimous decision win over Brad Katona in January. … Hiestand (7-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) also enters as a winner of two straight, but has not competed since last April. On his current run he won a decision over Fernie Garcia followed by a TKO of Batgerel Danaa.
Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 expert pick, prediction
Getting an impromptu bump up from the prelims is a bantamweight fight between Armfield and Hiestand.
Armfield appears to be coming into his own since moving shop to train with Trey Ogden and company at Marathon MMA.
A well-rounded fighter by nature, Armfield now fights with more focus and process than before (likely a byproduct of a camp with solid game planning). That said, Armfield will have a tough challenge to figure out this weekend in the form of Hiestand.
It’s been over a year since we’ve seen Hiestand in action due to his struggles to stay healthy, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt is still young and looks to improve each time out.
I expect this fight to play out closer than the odds indicate, but I’ll side with Armfield to notch the scorecards as the more damaging combatant.
Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the more active fighter, listing Armfield as a -194 favorite and Hiestand an underdog at +150, via FanDuel.
Garrett Armfield vs. Brady Hiestand UFC on ESPN 58 start time, how to watch
As the third main card bout, Armfield and Hiestand are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 11:05 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.
