Julio Arce
Age: 28
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 14-2
UFC Record: 1-0
Notable Wins: Dan Ige
Notable Losses: Brian Kelleher
Last Fight: Decision win over Dan Ige
Fighter Profile: A standout on Dana White’s Contender Series, Arce was signed to the big show after knocking out Peter Petties on the show and he made good with a decision win over Dan Ige in his UFC debut. All told he’s riding a six-fight win streak at the moment and in his career only top bantamwight Brian Kelleher has defeated him. Arce is a very well-rounded fighter who has good striking and submission skills and he could be a guy who makes a run up the featherweight ladder. We still have yet to see him tested against truly good competition in the UFC yet, but he’s a guy who certainly has shown the potential to be something special and with a win over Daniel Teymur should get a step up his next time out.
Daniel Teymur
Age: 30
Nationality: Swedish
MMA Record: 6-1
UFC Record: 0-1
Notable Wins: None
Notable Losses: Danny Henry
Last Fight: Decision loss to Danny Henry
Fighter Profile: The brother of better-known David Teymur, Daniel himself is a very solid fighter who is an interesting prospect in the featherweight division due to his striking background. He’s a very good kickboxer and if he can continue to improve his ground game and takedown defense could become an improved figther just like his brother. Teymur’s UFC debut didn’t go to plan when he lost a decision against Danny Henry, but after seeing Henry finish Hakeem Dawodu in seconds in his last fight, going to a decision with him doesn’t seem all too bad. Teymur has a lot of improvements to make, but he’s someone to keep your eye on and a win over Arce would be huge for his career.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a really good, competitive fight between two solid featherweight prospects. I think Teymur has a slight edge in the strikig but I think Arce can hold his own on the feet, and on the ground I have to give Arce the advantage here. I’ve just been more impressed with Arce so far in the UFC and I expect him to continue his win streak here with another victory over Teymur. I think Teymur is probably tough enough to survive the three rounds, but at the end of 15 minutes I see Arce getting his hand raised as he gets a decision win that will help his case for a bigger fight his next time out.
Prediction:Julio Arce via decision
