Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight
Julio
Arce is hoping that a move down to 135 pounds will provide the
spark he needs to move up the ranks. At an unnamed UFC
Fight Night card on July 24, Arce (16-4) is planning on
dropping to bantamweight to take on Andre Ewell
(17-7). The news was first reported by
MMA Fighting on Thursday. Arce later confirmed the pairing on
his Instagram.
Arce surged into the UFC with a drubbing of Peter
Petties on the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series, and the New
Yorker amassed a win streak of seven before meeting Sheymon
Moraes in 2018. At UFC 230, Arce suffered a split decision
loss, although he rebounded by head kicking Julian
Erosa seven months later. Another split decision setback, this
time to Hakeem
Dawodu in November 2019, left him at a crossroads. A February
matchup with Timur
Valiev fell through, and over five months later, he finally has
his next opponent.
Ewell too lost his last fight, dropping a decision to Chris
Gutierrez in February. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak
over Jonathan
Martinez and Irwin
Rivera, both of the split decision variety. The Californian
made his way to the UFC on short notice against Renan Barao,
where he upset the former champ on split judges’ scorecards. Ewell
will look to keep his UFC record above .500 against Arce, as
another loss would drop him to 4-4 with the Las Vegas-based
organization.
The unnumbered UFC Fight Night event on July 24 does not currently
have a destination set, although it may be held in the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. There is no current headliner announced, but anticipated
main card pairing include a middleweight battle between Ian
Heinisch and Nassourdine
Imavov, as well as a bantamweight clash between Aspen Ladd
and Macy
Chiasson.
