Sherdog Prospect Watch: Dan Argueta

Undefeated DanArgueta is the @LFAfighting bantamweight champ! #AndNew

[ #LFA131 | 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 | on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] pic.twitter.com/sxRxXNM3iE

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 7, 2022

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When the Ultimate Fighting Championship needed a short-notice replacement for UFC Fight Night 207 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Dan Argueta answered the call.

The former Legacy Fighting Alliance bantamweight champion agreed to replace Darrick Minner and move up a division to face Damon Jackson in a three-round featherweight prelim. Argueta will make his big-league debut less than 30 days after his most recent appearance at LFA 131 on May 6. He carries a perfect 8-0 record that includes four wins by submission and two others by knockout or technical knockout. The opponents he has encountered on his way to the Octagon have posted a cumulative 44-23-1 record for a .647 winning percentage.

The 28-year-old Argueta was born in Chicago but operates out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He grew up wrestling, and the skills he developed on the mat have played a pivotal part in his success thus far. Generally, Argueta prefers to solve his opponents on the canvas, where he feels at ease using the rear-naked choke. His armbar attacks are also vicious and have earned him one of his five first-round finishes. On the feet, the Jackson-Wink MMA standout adopts an unorthodox stance, which often throws off his adversaries. Argueta has quick hands and likes to mix up his game with short knees.

Argueta made his pro debut at the age of 24, when he took on Max Rojas at LFA 65 in May 2019. He imposed his will on Rojas before putting him away with punches at the 3:48 mark of Round 1. Argueta piled up four additional wins, two of them in Combate Global, before being cast on Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He ran into eventual tournament winner Ricky Turcios in the quarterfinals but acquitted himself well in defeat.

Argueta snatches the arm for the co-main event win!#LFA116 pic.twitter.com/51NkSR58vk

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 23, 2021

Following his appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Argueta posted three more victories in the Legacy Fighting Alliance. He has already competed twice in 2022. Argueta smashed Mairon Santos Alves with punches and elbows in the third round of their LFA 123 encounter in February, then captured the organization’s bantamweight title in a hard-fought battle with Diego Silva at LFA 131 in May. He was initially forced to fight off his back against Silva, who used his experience to control the undefeated prospect on the canvas. However, Argueta looked sharper than usual with his strikes. After he softened up Silva on the feet, he managed to keep the Fusion X-Cel rep bottled up with relentless takedown attempts. All three of the cageside judges struck 48-47 scorecards, two of them siding with Argueta.