74 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 3, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Bayside mixed martial artist to fi ght for UFC contract
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@qns.com
@A_GiudiceReport
A talented mixed martial artist from
Bayside has the chance of a lifetime
coming next month where he will battle
it out in the octagon for an opportunity
to earn an Ultimate Fighting
Championship (UFC) contract.
Julio Arce began training in mixed
martial arts (MMA) 16 years ago when
his mother brought him to the Tiger
Schulmann’s Martial Arts location in
Bayside to get him in better shape and
grow his confi dence since he would
oft entimes be bullied for being overweight.
Over time, under the tutelage of Shihan
(Master) Brian Gotthoff er, Arce grew to
love the martial arts and worked his way
up to earn a second-degree MMA black
belt, several championships, and became
a Sensei as the senior instructor at the
Bayside Tiger Schulmann’s location at
215-15 Northern Blvd.
“It all started as being that little fat kid
who played games, loved reading comics.
I was an overweight kid…then I
was brought here. From day one I got
hooked on it, and here I am today,” Arce
said. “It was a journey for myself. I was
able to evolve from a kid into a man and
just grow. I had to take my own journey
to get to where I am.”
As Arce began competing in the amateur
ranks, he began honing his skills in
multiple martial arts disciplines.
During his amateur career Arce was
the 2011 Golden Gloves Champion with
a 7-0 record, a tri-state and world kickboxing
champion with an 11-1 record,
and a Ring of Combat Champion with a
13-0 record fi ghting in that organization.
When Arce turned pro in 2014, he
continued his winning ways, earning in
5-0 record in kickboxing, and was the
Bantamweight (135 pound) Champion
in Ring of Combat, and is currently
the Featherweight (145 pound) Ring of
Combat Champion with a professional
MMA record of 12-2.
Now Arce has his sights set on earning
a contract with the UFC.
Arce was asked to compete on “Dana
White’s Tuesday Night Contender
Series,” a show that is streamed on UFC
Fight pass, where the owner of the UFC,
Dana White, scouts potential fi ghters to
join his organization.
“It’s the big leagues, that’s where
everybody wants to get to, that’s where
I work hard to get to,” Arce said of the
UFC. “Th ree of my teammates just made
it there, and I know my time is coming
soon.”
So on Aug. 8, Arce will go headto
head against Peter Petties in the
Featherweight division in Las Vegas to
try to impress White and earn his way
into the premier combat sports organization.
“I don’t care what happens, win, lose,
knock the guy out, get knocked out,
whatever, just get in there and have fun,”
Gotthoff er said he has been telling Arce
leading up to the big fi ght. “Don’t let the
pressure get to you. Don’t worry about
it. Nobody’s opinion is going to change.
Whatever happens, he is still going to be
respected and loved by everyone.”
No matter what happens in the Aug. 8
fi ght, Arce will still be training and teaching
at the Bayside Tiger Schulmann’s.
sports
Photo by Anthony Giudice/Ridgewood Times
Photo caption: Julio Arce (left) trained under Shihan Bryan Gotthoff er (right) at the Bayside Tiger Schulmann’s and will compete for a UFC contract.