Garrett Armfield Feels Like a New Man Ahead of UFC Singapore

Garrett Armfield believes his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut was just a hiccup on his path to glory.

Armfield (8-3, 0-1 UFC) will aim to bounce back from his loss to David Onama in his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 39. On that occasion, Armfield was fighting out of his usual weight class as he accepted a last-minute opportunity to replace Austin Lingo, who pulled out during fight week. Ahead of his upcoming clash with Toshiomi Kazama at UFC Fight Night 225, also known as UFC Singapore, Armfield confessed dropping back to the 135-pound division feels like a blessing as he feels way faster and sharper at his fighting weight. Armfield also highlighted his increased maturity and strategic approach to fights, aiming for a finish within three rounds.

“Since my UFC debut, I've just become a much more mature athlete, I’ve embodied my dance spirit. I feel like I've definitely been able to kind of slow it down, build on a little bit more technique, and not try to rush my fights. What I've done in the past of some of my fights where it's been my biggest downfall is that I've tried to nuke the guy in the freaking first round. I try to put him away in the first round as quick as I can. Of course, that's always the goal, but now I try to do it in a more cool, calm and collected form. Not so much reckless, being hectic and recklessness. I just try to be sharp and pick my shots and not every shot has to be full power 'cause we're wearing little gloves. It doesn't take full power to put somebody out. What has increased the most since my debut is my maturity as an athlete and my willingness to take my time really plot my points out there.”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:13) His journey to Singapore
(01:11) The movies he watched on the plane
(01:32) His fight week
(02:25) Competing for the first time outside the United States
(04:29) The point on his weight cut
(05:27) Moving back to bantamweight after his UFC debut
(06:18) Preparing for Kazama
(06:54) The difference with his UFC debut
(08:27) Predicting a finish
(08:53) Acknowledgments
(09:36) Outro