While 2021 didn’t play out exactly how bantamweight Garrett Armfeld would have liked, the year will still successful for him because of the advances he made as a fighter overall.
Armfeld feels like as long as he’s developing from whatever activity he has, then how many fights he has or the results might not matter as much in the big picture.
“I had three fights over the course of 2021, I was looking to have four, but we couldn’t find a good match-up for the end of the year,” Armfeld told MMAWeekly.com. “I went 2-1 last year. I would have liked to have gone 3-0, but that being said I did have a good learning experience taking a loss last April.
“I was able to mature and grow. Overall it was a year of growth as usual, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot from my coaches and teammates.”
One of the biggest improvements Armfeld feels he’s made in his game is his ability to let a fight play out more naturally and not try to force things to happen.
“I definitely am a much more complete fighter,” said Armfeld. “I’ve learned to take my time and be patient while I’m in the cage.
“I think it’s going to be very advantageous in my next fight is how I’m going to be able to game plan between round 1 and round 5, rather than just go in there and try to finish it all in the first. Of course I’m always looking to get a first round finish, but I’m not going to force it like I have in the past.”
This Friday, in Independence, Missouri, Armfeld (7-2) faces Steven Graham (10-5) in the 135-pound championship co-main event of FAC 13.
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“Of course we always look and see what their tendencies are, that way you can game plan a little more efficiently, but at the end of the day I’m going to fight at my pace,” said Armfeld. “It’s going to be my fight and (Graham is) going to have to adjust to me.
“Of course there are things we game plan and drill on over and over again, but we continue to add new dynamics to my game that he’s not going to be ready for. If he is (ready for it) then it’s going to be a great fight.”
With a title win on Friday night Armfeld could find himself one step closer to where he wants to be in 2022, but until then he’s going to focus on the task at hand and ensuring he is able to fulfill his goal when the opportunity presents itself.
“I’m always trying to take it one fight at a time,” said Armfeld. “Of course I set a goal for myself at the start of the year, and that was to be in the UFC by the end of the year.
“With this win this would put me at 8-2 with a UFC Fight Pass title, and so usually you get the call up when you have a title and defend it at least once. I’m definitely ready for that step up in competition and pay as well, but nothing is for sure, so you have to take it one fight at a time.”
Garrett Armfeld plans to make Steven Graham adjust to him in FAC 13 co-main event
