Preview: UFC on ESPN 39 Prelims

Featherweights

David Onama (9-1, 1-1 UFC) vs. Garrett Armfield (8-2, 0-0 UFC) ODDS: N/A Onama looks like a prospect to watch, and the UFC’s first Ugandan-born fighter gets another chance to show off his wares here. Onama got the late-notice call in October and was an obvious talent, even in a debut loss to Mason Jones. Onama moved up to lightweight for the opportunity and held his own for three rounds against a physical and hard-nosed prospect. However, Onama truly got people excited with a February knockout of Gabriel Benitez, which was impressive even beyond the result. He had some rough moments, but it was good to see him continue to throw a lot more volume in contrast to his sniping style on the regional scene. Onama seemed set to be a late scratch from this card, but the UFC was able to find an opponent for him at the last minute, as he will meet a former amateur foe in Armfield. A wrestler turned striker, Armfield is progressing solidly from fight to fight and has looked ready for a bigger test after his last few performances, where he has been able to dominate his opponents on the mat along with showing himself as a knockout threat. Nevertheless, this looks to be a big ask. Even beyond the late-notice nature of the encounter, Armfield is a natural bantamweight who is going to clearly be physically outgunned. The newcomer should put in a game effort, but Onama should find his way to a finish. The pick is Onama via second-round stoppage.