While the Canadian led the dance, the New Yorker wasn’t without his own moments, catching Dawodu with a couple clean punches down the pipe as he looked to figure out Dawodu’s timing and approach. These two were highly technical over the first five minutes, with Dawodu largely pressing the action and connecting with the greater volume of strikes, hurting Arce with a heavy low kick early before continuing to get the better of the exchanges throughout the round.
The evening got underway in the featherweight division as local product Julio Arce squared off with Canadian prospect Hakeem Dawodu in a clash of fighters looking to break into the Top 15 in the packed 145-pound weight class.
