Every MMA fighter deserves clarity about their future, even if the promotion plans to release them. In recent years, Dana White and Co. have actively cut fighters who caused issues or blocked the promotion’s success. During this period, the UFC released fighters like Muhammad Mokaev (7-0), Trevin Giles, and Viviane Araujo, giving them straightforward exits. However, they handled 10-fight UFC veteran Julio Arce’s release differently.

For nearly a decade, Arce stood out as one of the promising members of the UFC’s bantamweight roster. He left the promotion in January last year, but the process proved more complicated than it appeared. The reason was fairly clear: during his UFC tenure since 2018, Julio Arce missed weight twice. The promotion did not hold any ill will but chose not to offer him a new contract. What frustrated Arce, however, was how they handled his exit.

“I know that the weight issue probably caused it, but honestly, we’ve seen so many cases of fighters at the highest level missing weight, and they’re still there,” Julio Arce told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “What happened after is that there were like seven or eight months when we knew nothing. I didn’t know if they were going to continue with us or let us go.”

The New Yorker joined the UFC in 2017 after graduating from DWCS. Afterward, he quickly proved his potential with decisive wins over fighters like Dan Ige and Daniel Timur. Over the course of his UFC career, he alternated between wins and losses. In his final fights, he faced Montel Jackson and Daniel Santos, but missed weight against Santos at UFC 273 and again in 2024 at Atlantic City against Herbert Burns. These setbacks led to his release, yet the UFC left him in uncertainty until the very end.

“It was the last fight on my contract, and they chose not to renew me,” Arce said. “I think it was the weight. Burns got another opportunity… but I never heard from them until they told me they weren’t going to renew. You could’ve told me that the following day, and I would’ve been looking for fights. You know, the company was good to me. Everyone was friendly there, but that’s how things went down.”

As one of the UFC’s veterans, Julio Arce feels frustrated, especially since the promotion recently kept fighters like Kelvin Gastelum active, even though he missed weight multiple times in his career. However, Dana White & Co. did not give the UFC vet the same consideration.

Recently, other fighters have expressed similar frustration. Welterweight star Michael “Venom” Page criticized the promotion for keeping him waiting for more fights in the division. In fact, at UFC London, Page even walked out to Michael Jackson hits, signaling his dissatisfaction and saying, “They do not care about us.”

Since leaving the UFC, Arce has already moved forward. He earned victories in the Victory Fighting League, including a rematch win against former UFC rival Sheymon Moraes and a win over Wilson Reis, both at 145 pounds. Later, he signed with GFL, though the promotion never officially launched his fights.

Now, at 36 years old, Arce has taken a major step in his career by signing with PFL. He will debut this week at PFL Pittsburgh against Alexei Pergande in a featherweight bout. Additionally, in his upcoming interview, the UFC vet also talks about his latest opponents.

“Good opportunity” motivates ex-UFC star ahead of fight versus Kill Cliff Phenom

During his UFC tenure, 10-fight veteran Julio Arce never reached the heights he had hoped for. Now, however, the New Yorker is regaining momentum and aims to make his mark in America’s next top MMA promotion, PFL. For this fight, he will face the much younger American Alexei Pergande as 36-year-old Arce looks to prove himself.

Pergande, a 24-year-old phenom, trains out of the Florida-based Kill Cliff Gym. Although he comes from another promotion that some argue lacks top-tier competition, Arce remains optimistic about his PFL debut, even though the young fighter could pose a serious threat.

“He’s a good prospect of theirs, and I’m a UFC veteran, so I see two things at play here: Either I beat him, and I get a good opportunity to go for the title, or they use me as the ‘stepping stone’ to help him,” Arce said. “I don’t care, a fight is a fight. You can put whoever in front of me, and I’m going in there to win and come out with my hand raised.”

Looking ahead, how do you view the UFC veteran’s next chapter in the PFL? Do you think Arce can stage a strong comeback and prove himself in the promotion? Share your thoughts below.