Preview: UFC 297 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Toronto with UFC 297 this Saturday at Scotiabank Arena will see an undercard that clocks in as expected and features an array of Canadian talent. In the featured spot, Winnipeg-born bantamweight Brad Katona makes his first appearance since winning Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter” when he takes on Garrett Armfield. However, the best bout of the bunch might land one slot below, where the eternally exciting Charles Jourdain looks to keep his momentum going against lanky striker Sean Woodson at 145 pounds. Meanwhile, Gillian Robertson gets back to action for what should be an engaging encounter with fellow grappler Polyana Viana in the women’s strawweight division.

Now to the preview for the UFC 297 prelims:

Bantamweights

Brad Katona (13-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Garrett Armfield (9-3, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Katona (-198), Armfield (+164)

It is nice to see Katona get a bit of a homecoming in his proper UFC return. Born in Winnipeg but now based out of Ireland, Katona initially made it to the UFC after winning the 27th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2018. However, he wound up out the door in surprisingly quick fashion. His fighting style was not particularly exciting, but it was still a shock to see him get released after losses to Merab Dvalishvili and Hunter Azure, especially since the latter came via controversial decision. “Superman” regrouped rather easily on the regional scene and became the first two-time winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” by defeating Cody Gibson in August. Not only was Katona’s scrap with Gibson an excellent fight, but it also showed an ability to keep a pace that was not present during Katona’s first UFC stint. Katona draws Armfield next, and it will be interesting to see what the Springfield Fight Club product brings to the table, as he is still a hard prospect to calibrate. His regional resume was fairly weak, but he has looked solid in two UFC fights to date, giving David Onama a tough time in a late-notice debut at featherweight before running through Toshiomi Kazama in August. Armfield will likely prove to be a difficult out once again, particularly since Katona has very little finishing ability to his game, but the Canadian should be able to lean on his athleticism and durability once again to put together a steady and workmanlike win. The pick is Katona via decision.

Jump To »
Katona vs. Armfield
Jourdain vs. Woodson
Sidey vs. Taveras
Robertson vs. Viana
Lainesse vs. Patterson
Jasudavicius vs. Cachoeira
Gordon vs. Flick