The MMA Daily

We have an intriguing fight in the Bantamweight division, as Julio Arce takes on promotional newcomer Daniel “Willycat” Santos. Having traded wins and loses for the past six fights, Arce will seek to find some consistency. In a stacked Bantamweight division, Arce can’t afford to continue losing if he will ever want to fight for the title. Meanwhile, Santos comes into his UFC debut on a two-fight win streak. Having not fought for 2.5 years, due to event cancellations and Injuries, Santos will need to shake off the rust under the brightest lights.

As for a prediction, I have Arce winning. Despite failing to win two-straight fights since 2018, Arce is a good fighter in a tough division. Having most recently fought Yadong Song, who is currently ranked in the top ten, Arce learned what it will take to get to that level. While Santos is a tough customer, notably throwing several spinning strikes, the layoff is problematic. To not only debut in the UFC, but after a 2.5 years since you’re last fight just seems like an enormous obstacle to overcome. Throw in a tough customer like Arce and I don’t like Santos’ chances. So with that said, I predict that Arce wins via decision.