This fight is actually a re-booking with the initial June attempt falling out just hours before it was set to go down. The core issue in the situation is theorized to be food poisoning. Arnett lost around ten to twelve pounds of water during this episode per his account. He was rendered unable to even get off the floor earlier this Summer.

His team ultimately saw it in his best interest to call the bout off. Arnett, who has in the past fought with herniated discs and a blown back, begrudgingly accepted his circumstances. But the rescheduling turnaround was thankfully promptly sorted.

Jesse Arnett

Despite being a former TKO champion and the prolific Canadian MMA promotion running frequently at La Tohu, this will be Arnett’s first time competing in the revered venue. The venue also ties into this fight with Dupras as ‘Big Cat’ highlighted in this interview how his opponent was knocked out at La Tohu to a degree where there issues waking him up after.

Arnett explained how you never forget that kind of thing and the anecdotal experiences with the venue could weigh heavily on the mind and spirit of Dupras heading into this headlining title fight.

Many are seeing this as a prospect versus veteran matchup with excitement attached to capturing another belt but there is also excitement in beating someone in Dupras that the UFC seems to have their eyes on.

Considering Arnett was locked out of a UFC jump, per his account, because of Stephane Patry and TKO’s contractual dynamics with him, this would be a satisfying win even though Arnett realizes that based on his age he may not exactly be on the UFC’s radar in the same way Dupras is.

Jesse Arnett vs Frederik Dupras

Arnett stated that this is the first world beater Dupras has ever fought having competed with names like Ray Borg, Johnny Bedford, Josh Hill, as well as Darrick Minner to name a few. He has also captured gold in multiple divisions including the UAE Warriors featherweight belt and the TKO bantamweight belt to name a couple of his championship accolades.

This will be the Canadian combatant’s first new opponent in a couple of years after his championship trilogy in UAEW versus Ali AlQaisi.

Examining his opponent’s resume, Dupras has many guillotine choke-based finishes. He actually has seven first-round submission finishes by way of a choke across his seven pro-MMA wins.

In discussing the machinations of this matchup, Jesse Arnett suggested,

“If he can take me out, which won’t happen, he [doesn’t] need to go to Contender Series. He can go directly to the UFC. However, I’m more well-rounded. The only way he can choke me out is if I’m desperately shooting on him or if I’m scrambling up. I got some good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guys. I’ve been doing Jiu-Jitsu now [for] a decade.”

“He’s not going to just come in there and choke me. We’re gonna see how he does when we get him out of the first round. He’s never been out of the first round, never mind past three minutes. So it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun the first three minutes, the first round. See how he reacts and I’m just going to see what he does and go from there.”

Samourai MMA 11

Arnett continued, “I can win the fight decision, I can win the fight submission, I can win the fight knockout. I think his only path to victory is a submission over me, I believe.”

While the great wrestling and BJJ are clear, Arnett has honed his standup at Bowmont Boxing as well as Muay Thai work with Kieran Keddle and ONE Championship combatant Jake Peacock over the years. He is now in Northern Ontario honing his skills these days at spaces like Steel City MMA and Leading Edge.

In terms of a prediction for how this contest will play out, Jesse Arnett stated,

“I think I get him out of there inside two rounds, to be honest. He’s going to be a little hard at the beginning because he’s so wild. But once I let him do his thing and blow himself out, I feel I’ll take the fight over and I feel the finish will be there.”

The post Jesse Arnett Calls Frederik Dupras Finish “Inside 2 Rounds” at Samourai MMA 11 appeared first on Cageside Press.

What happened next was not part of the plan.

After the fight was halted in the second round by the cageside physician due to a cut on AlQaisi, all hell broke lose. An enraged AlQaisi, upset at losing his title due to a doctor’s stoppage, appeared to instigate a post-fight fracas that ended in Arnett hopping out of the cage.

Initially, the victorious Arnett appears to offer his sympathies, while AlQaisi had words with the referee, making a belt motion around his waist. Arnett and AlQaisi then came together as officials and corners entered the cage, with one official getting between the fighters. A clearly agitated AlQaisi then lunged towards Arnett, with the two exchanging words until Arnett jumped the fence, having what appeared to be a rough landing.

All hell breaking loose at UAE Warriors after Ali AlQaisi loses his belt by cut stoppage to Jesse Arnett. pic.twitter.com/hKGlva7NL6

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 2, 2022

The broadcast team implored all involved to be professional throughout, not that it appeared to have any effect.

Cageside Press has reached out to the promotion regarding today’s incident. Jesse Arnett, meanwhile, had said in advance of the fight that he had hoped to win the featherweight title Saturday, then defend it sometime this fall. Depending on any disciplinary action etc., there’s a chance they may want to run this one back.

Update, 07/03/022 — UAE Warriors officials confirmed to Cageside Press that Arnett is uninjured, and that the incident will be reviewed in the coming days.

The post Chaos Erupts at UAE Warriors 30 After Jesse Arnett Wins Featherweight Title appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now, at 38, the longtime veteran is set to challenge UFC vet Ali AlQaisi for the UAE Warriors featherweight championship this weekend.

For Arnett (19-8), it’s a return to featherweight, where he last fought roughly five years ago — but after spending most of his career as a bantamweight, he excepts the move to be permanent.

“I’m done making bantamweight. I’ve literally been making that weight class since my first year of university,” Arnett told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview.

Arnett will still cut weight to make 145, mind you. “I can weigh 160, 165. In shape, I’m about 157, 158. I’m the perfect size for this division.”

In AlQaisi, Arnett has an opponent he sees as another tough guy, one who has some experience, and is durable. That said, he sees it as a favourable match-up. “I think I’m better everywhere. I know I’m better everywhere. I’m a better boxer, I’m a better wrestler, I have a better ground game. I’ve got to watch out for a Hail Mary shot; he can’t beat me on the cards. This is my fight to win. I’ve just got to be patient, I’ve tightened up a lot of things, I’ve got a great team behind me right now. I feel I can get him out of there inside of 15 minutes.”

Arnett does believe his upcoming opponent is a good grappler. “He’s got a good guillotine. He’s strong on the body lock. His best quality is, he gets better as the fight goes on too,” Arnett acknowledged. Not that he expects it to make a difference. “Has he fought guys inside the top 30 like I have? No. I’m the toughest guy he’s ever fought by the long shot.”

What Arnett is excited for is that AlQasi is a game, durable fighter — which means he can get in there and “have a good knock with the champ.”

Ali AlQasi is far from the first UFC alum Jesse Arnett is faced. Over the years, he’s squared off against Ray Borg, Nate Maness, Darrick Minner, Johnny Bedford, Roman Delorme, and other talented fighters including Bellator’s Josh Hill.

He’s won some, he’s lost some, but as he noted, “all those guys I’ve lost to, we run that fight back, it’s a pick ’em.”

In 2017, however, Arnett came close to hitting the big time: signed by the largest mixed martial arts promotion in the world. “I was 15 wins and four losses, and I did get signed to the UFC. And unfortunately the promoter that I was with at the time did not let me out,” Arnett noted. “And then I lost to Nate Maness and I lost to Josh Hill. Hat’s off, both good fighters, both good guys. And like I said earlier, you run me and Josh back right now, I can win that fight. You run me and Nathan back right now, I can win that fight. So I’m not going anywhere right now at my age.”

Still, at 38, Arnett is focused on the title in front of him, rather than worrying about making the jump to a big promotion.

“My goals are right now to win this title Saturday night, and then defend it later on this fall, and then go from there. Right now I’m definitely staying with UAE Warriors. Obviously if something came up, we can talk,” Arnett stated, noting that while the “UFC doesn’t like taking the older people no more,” they did sign a 40 year old on the Contender Series last year.

“I’m just content and happy where I’m at right now. I’ve had a good career, man. And you know, I’m your favourite fighter’s favourite fighter. I’ve got the respect of all my peers. Some of the best fighters in the world respect me and tell me I’m great, so I know I’m doing something right.”

It’s been a long and entertaining road for Jesse Arnett, long one of the standouts in Canadian MMA. Arnett got his start in collegiate wrestling, in the same generation that witnessed the rise of Daniel Cormier, Ben Askren, Henry Cejudo, and “King” Mo Lawal. He even travelled alongside them, representing Canada on the world stage.

“Mo Lawal ended up being one of my best friends when I was young, because we really loved wrestling, pro wrestling,” Arnett recalled. “I was up 3-0 to Henry Cejudo at the Pan Am Games going into the break, then he was pissed off, he smashed me 13-3. So when that’s happening to me at 20 years old, it definitely carries on 20 years later. Henry Cejudo’s been a thorn in everyone’s side for 20 years, geez!”

Jesse Arnett takes on Ali AlQaisi for the UAE Warriors featherweight championship this Saturday, July 2, 2022 at UAE Warriors 30. The event airs live on UFC Fight Pass.

The post With UAE Warriors Title In His Sights, Canadian Veteran Jesse Arnett Not Going Anywhere appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now, AlQaisi (12-5) will look to defend his title when he takes on Canadian regional scene veteran Jesse Arnett (19-8). The fight will serve as the main event of UAE Warriors 30 on on July 2, 2022, promotion officials announced on Tuesday.

The card will be the first of back-to-back events, with UAE Warriors 31: Arabia taking place the following night. Both events will air on UFC Fight Pass, and see five titles on the line between them.

In addition to AlQaisi vs. Arnett, Brazil’s Vinicius de Oliveira (17-2) puts his UAE Warriors bantamweight title on the line against undefeated Iraqi Ali Taleb (6-0) in the co-main event of UAE Warriors 30.

AlQaisi, a.k.a. “The Royal Fighter,” has won all four of his fights since parting ways with the UFC. In addition to claiming gold in UAE Warriors, the Jordanian fighter also won the Titan FC featherweight title last year.

Arnett is a former TKO bantamweight champion, who has been a staple of Canadian MMA since his professional debut in 2011. He holds notable wins over past and present UFC fighters Roland Delorme, Johnny Bedford, and Darrick Minner.

In March, Arnett picked up a win against Gadzhimurad Gasanguseynov at UAE Warriors 28, in a bantamweight bout. He’ll be moving up to challenge for AlQaisi’s 145lb title.

Atop UAE Warriors 31: Arabia, meanwhile, Rany Saadeh (12-4) and Fabricio Sarraff (29-10) meet for the inaugural UAE Warriors Arabia bantamweight title. Eslam Syaha (12-2) and Laïd Zerhouni (9-7) face off in the co-main event, for the inaugural UAE Warriors Arabia middleweight championship.

A third title fight sees Nawras Abzakh (9-4) square off with Sami Yahia (10-4) to become the first UAE Warriors Arabia flyweight champ.

Both events take place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on July 2 and July 3, 2022.

The post Former UFC Fighter Ali AlQaisi Defends Title Against Jesse Arnett at UAE Warriors 30 appeared first on Cageside Press.

FLA 1

Arnett did not have the best run of luck in 2019 as far as fights staying together. Fights were booked with TKO and XFFC but outside circumstances resulted in those bouts being scrapped.

“I’m definitely excited for sure to get back in there,” Arnett told us ahead of his first bout of 2020. “I grew up wrestling. We got to compete every weekend it seems. With the fight game, if one fight falls out, two fights fall out, then all of a sudden you’re only fighting once a year. I’m happy to get back in there. Nova Scotia, Truro I’ve never been there. I’ve never been that far East. I’m excited to get out there. I’m excited for the match-up.”

Arnett continued, adding that “I would love to compete out East as long as I can. Right now it was timing and circumstances. Like you mentioned, XFFC had fallen out as well as TKO. And now I had seen that FLA had a show… I know Kent Peters on the East coast. I reached out to him, he reached out to the owner of the company, they reached out to me, and after a couple days we made things work.”

Jesse Arnett

Big Cat‘s opponent this weekend is someone that he has had on his radar for a meaningful period of time. “I was actually trying to fight Adam on Unified [MMA]. Sunny [Sareen, Unified MMA President] was trying to pull that together last minute and it didn’t happen,” Arnett revealed. “So I’ve had this Adam kid on my radar for half a year I think.”

As far as his thoughts on his next opponent, Arnett said “I think he’s good. Well we’re going to find out February 8. If he can beat me then he’s good. Styles make fights. I’m well rounded. I think his kicks are better than his punches. I think he’s going to be really strong when you get him in a body lock or get a hold of him. Definitely leaving things spazzy and strong. I just gotta watch that front switch kick. I’m southpaw too. My left hand can come down the middle all night.”

As far as what his preparations are ahead of this prizefight, it’s still all about working with the best in the west. “Louie Grover, Jake Peacock, my boy Johnson. Everybody at Bowmont. My friends at Tilt MMA,” Arnett said, rattling off a list of those who helped him prepare. “It’s a team effort here in Calgary as always.”

Big Cat

When he’s not fighting, Arnett does snow removal and business has been good this season. Aside from clearing out the streets of Calgary, Arnett looks to clean up on the Canadian bantamweight scene in 2020.

“I should be going February 8th, March 13th, and then May 8th,” Arnett stated. “Everything can turn around if I can get a three-fight win streak. Imagine having a three-fight win streak by May? I can’t complain about last year. Last year was the first year in my whole career since 2011 that I went winless.”

Arnett continued, “First-year since 2011 I went winless. That’s unacceptable. I’ve been sitting on fifteen wins for almost two years now this May. I should have twenty-two wins by now. Even if I am fighting on the regional scene. It’s nice to be able to get active, not get held up in a contract, and I’m excited for the East coast. Tristan Connelly told me they’re crazy out there. They’re crazy fans and they do a good show.”

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