Preview: UFC Fight Night 131 'Rivera vs. Moraes'

Featherweights
Julio Arce (13-2) vs. Daniel Teymur (6-1)
Odds: Arce (-210), Teymur (+175)

Two high-volume strikers lock horns in this matchup. Arce has impressed in his two higher-profile bouts, one on the Contender Series and another in the UFC proper. A former Golden Gloves champion, his boxing-centric style is on full display from the opening bell. Arce is a southpaw who throws combinations of fast, straight punches. In this way, he maintains distance very well. He also cuts angles on his way in, blinding foes while pumping the jab and circling around them before firing his cross. Arce also varies his lead hand, sometimes delivering a hard right hook instead of merely flashing his jab.

The Team Tiger Schulmann stalwart maintains a high guard while simultaneously displaying strong takedown defense. His hips simply disappear as he sprawls, and he demonstrates the high fight IQ to disengage and force opponents to stand with him rather than trying to land ground-and-pound. Arce does have a dangerous front headlock series that he will utilize if he isn’t facing a BJJ black belt whose only chance is on the floor. When he forces opponents back to the cage or has them hurt, the New Yorker goes to town with gorgeous head-body combinations. His pressure is consistent without getting reckless. Arce doesn’t blow his gas tank rushing the finish, but consistently wears his adversary down with a barrage of punches and knees.

Teymur is the less-experienced brother of David Teymur, who fights on the prelims despite a 4-0 UFC record. Meanwhile, Daniel lost his big-show debut to Danny Henry is a back-and-forth slugfest. The elder Teymur’s inexperience showed in that bout. Despite 40 professional kickboxing bouts, “Kid Dynamite” entered the UFC with only six pro MMA fights under his belt, all of which ended in the first round. He went after Henry with a vengeance, emptying his reserves in barely a frame. The Allstars Training Center rep tore into Henry with overhand rights and left hooks, all of which he threw with full power. A fast kicker with a Muay Thai background like his brother, Teymur is more willing to throw himself into the pocket and swing for the fences. Henry survived the onslaught and worked over the exhausted Swede in the clinch and on the ground, nearly choking him out at the end of the final two rounds.

I expect Teymur to have learned some valuable lessons from his debut, but it would take significant strides for him to close the gap on the polished Schulmann protégé. Arce only has a one-inch reach advantage, but he is so much better at maintaining distance, preserving his gas tank while keeping up a pace, and keeping himself safe. The New Yorker takes over down the stretch for a clear-cut decision win.

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