Preview: UFC Fight Night 217 Prelims

Featherweights

Dan Argueta (8-1) vs. Nick Aguirre (7-0)
Odds: Argueta (-600), Aguirre (+425)

Two featherweights look for their first UFC win here. Dan Argueta acquitted himself well in his UFC debut last June, a late-notice bout against Damon Jackson; a bantamweight subsequent to his 2021 run on TUF, Argueta moved up to featherweight, survived some early trouble and put together a strong third round despite clearly losing the decision. That was typical of Argueta's previous performances; "The Determined" can hold his own as both a striker and a wrestler, but doesn't follow much of a focused gameplan, instead relying on constant activity to eventually outlast his opponents. That's served Argueta well on the regional scene, but he'll likely need to tighten things up to find some sustained success in the UFC; besides the Jackson fight, his TUF bout against Ricky Turcios showed that Argueta can get stymied against a capable opponent that can keep up with Argueta's pace. Somewhat surprisingly, Argueta is staying at featherweight for the time being, even before his opponent got changed to late replacement and UFC newcomer Nick Aguirre. Aguirre has some potential, but does look to be hitting the UFC much too early; he's mostly run through his professional opposition on the mat and hasn't gotten a step up in competition to suggest he's ready for a major promotion. With that said, Aguirre does look to have a solid submission game, and Argueta isn't particularly mindful of his defense, so there is a chance the latter could charge directly into a choke. But past that, Argueta should take over this fight as per his usual approach and wear Aguirre out; the pick is Argueta via third-round stoppage.

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