Arnett revealed he would be competing at the event on his Facebook page. It’s his first fight since Januray of 2020, when he was defeated in his promotional debut by Elias Boudegzdame at UAE Warriors 10.

The 29-year-old Northwest native has lost back-to-back bouts, and was released by the UFC in July of 2019. Arnett went 1-3 in the promotion, losing to Shane Young via unanimous decision at UFC 234 in his most recent fight in the Octagon.

“I’m super pumped to be getting my career going again,” Arnett said. “I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from fighting for a little over a year now, and I finally got the right opportunity for a great promotion to make my return. I’m excited to begin this next chapter of my career, which I feel will be the best one yet!”

This will mark Arnett’s second bout in Abu Dhabi, which joins the likes of Melbourne, Buenos Aires, and Calgary as international places he’s fought in. It’s also his second trip to Abu Dhabi in 2021, after he cornered teammate Michael Chiesa to victory against Neil Magny in January.

The main event of UAE Warriors 18 is a bantamweight title-fight between Xavier Alaoui and Vinicius de Oliveira. The card also features a couple of other UFC veterans, as featherweights Sean Soriano and Noad Lahat will face-off, according to a report from MMA Fighting.

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