Ali AlQaisi emerged victorious in a trilogy title fight against Jesse Arnett. The headline bout of UAE Warriors 42 ended with a decision win for the Jordanian fighter.
Ali AlQaisi vs. Jesse Arnett III
The third meeting between two UAE Warriors featherweight title holders was heavily promoted by both the promotion itself and the fighters. The reigning champion not only published some short hype videos of himself winning his previous fights. He also put some videos showing him preparing for the fight and how he spent the last days prior to the event. The fans following him on social media could see that he also has stepped up in his presentation as a champion, looking sharp in the suit during the press conference.
Jesse Arnett published some photos from his training, a hype video, and a trailer for the upcoming movie called “Modern Daty Warrior.” The film will focus on his life and career as a professional MMA fighter.
The featherweight title fight recap
The first round began with AlQaisi running forward Arnett and executing a jumping front kick. Unlucky for him, it missed its target. The Jordanian fighter pushed the pace through the entire five minutes and he also deflected any offense from the Canadian. However, Arnett was able to take him down and hit him with some short punches in the closing seconds of the round.
Round number two went down like the previous one. AlQaisi dominated in the stand-up part of the fight, while Arnett was successful in his takedown attempts. Due to strike exchanges, both fighters were covered in blood, making it a gruesome display to watch.
In the third outing, both fighters stuck to their standing game, trading blow for blow.
During the fourth round, it was easy to notice that both combatants were fatigued. This led to a slower pace with fewer exchanges and fewer strikes thrown.
In the fifth and final round, Ali AlQaisi was cautious not to get in any trouble. At this point, it was apparent that he was going to be awarded a victory by the judges. Arnett was only reacting to his offense and looking for any opportunity to finish the fight before the final bell. However, he was unable to do that. After 25 minutes mark judges declared AlQaisi as the winner, scoring the fight as follows: 49 – 46, 49 – 46, 50 – 45.
What happened in their previous fights?
In their initial encounter back in July 2022, Arnett emerged as the winner due to a doctor’s stoppage. The doctor halted the fight due to a cut suffered by AlQaisi. Following this title change, a controversy ensued as the ‘Royal Fighter’ expressed anger towards the doctor, referee, and his victorious opponent. Despite being assured a rematch, he even confronted Arnett during his moment of celebration.
However, in the rematch, Ali Qaisi achieved victory. Right from the start, the Jordanian fighter set a relentless pace. He knocked down Arnett with a powerful right jab and quickly established a dominant position on the ground. Although ‘Big Cat’ managed to escape the precarious situation, he endured some punishment in the final moments of the first round.
In the second round, Ali AlQaisi effectively controlled the pace of the fight with his striking.
The climax arrived at the one-minute and 25-second mark when the Jordanian skillfully applied a guillotine choke, leaving his opponent with no choice but to tap out. Although ‘Royal Fighter’ maintained the hold for a few seconds longer than necessary, no ill feelings were displayed afterward.
