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Bantamweights
#15 BW | Yadong Song (17-5-1, 6-1-1 UFC) vs. NR | Julio Arce (17-4, 4-2 UFC)ODDS: Song (-137), Arce (+117)
Song has not quite shot up the bantamweight ranks like some expected, but he still has major potential as a Chinese star. He burst onto the scene as a late addition to the UFC’s Shanghai card in 2017. Just 19 years old upon hitting the Octagon, Song quickly handled Bharat Kandare in his UFC debut, then scored wins over Felipe Arantes and Vince Morales to announce himself as a top prospect by the end of 2018. A 2019 knockout of Alejandro Perez—it was a blistering finish of a historically durable fighter—made it appear that Song could be on the fast track to title contention, and while he has been successful in the two-plus years since, his development has not quite lived up to that level. Song is a powerful athlete, but his willingness to wait on opponents has made for some narrow fights. Cody Stamann managed to get a draw with a wrestling-heavy approach, and Song was lucky to take a decision in an even fight against Marlon Vera. Surprisingly, Kyler Phillips was the one who eventually turned Song’s issues into his first UFC defeat, as he used his movement-heavy style to keep Song from building any sort of momentum. Song managed to rebound with a win against the pressure stylings of Casey Kenney, but he gets an interesting challenge with this assignment.
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Arce is an underrated fighter. While neither his fighting style nor results particularly stand out, he is a reliable all-terrain performer who has yet to give up an easy win in the UFC. After a long layoff saw him miss all of 2020, there is some potential that the New Yorker has unlocked something in moving down to 135 pounds, as he knocked out Andre Ewell in his return to the weight class in July. Most interestingly, Arce is a range striker by default who presents some of the same issues that Phillips did by being able to stay elusive and outmaneuver Song’s powerful counters. While this looks like a step down for Song from the Kenney bout, Arce might prove to be the tougher opponent. Still, Song is the much harder hitter, so while there may be some rough patches, he should have enough standout moments to stay ahead on the scorecards. It should be far from a showcase, but the pick is Song via decision.
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