Ali AlQaisi and Jesse Arnett will meet for the third time at UAE Warriors 42. The Jordanian fighter will be making the third defence of the belt he won by beating the Canadian at UAE Warriors 33.
AlQaisi (14-6) has won six fights out of seven since leaving the UFC. The sole blemish on his recent record came at UAE Warriors 30 when he was stopped by Arnett on doctor’s orders after suffering a cut in the second round.
But he submitted Arnett in the rematch. AlQaisi then went on to successfully defend the title at UAE Warriors 40, submitting Ahmed Faress with a guillotine choke in the third round.
Meanwhile Arnett (20-9) has not fought since the submission loss to Arnett last September. He has won two out of his four fights for UAE Warriors.
Also confirmed for the card is a middleweight title fight. Juscelino Ferreira (12-3) has three wins out of four for the promotion and has been rewarded with a shot at the vacant belt.
He faces an Iranian opponent who earned his title shot after winning back to back fights with UAE Warriors. Amir Fazli (5-1) is fighting out of Lebanon
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Double header
As usual this will be part of a double header at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. UAE Warriors 41 takes place in the same venue the previous night and that card will be exclusively for fighters of Arabic origin.
The Etihad Arena only opened its doors in 2021 but the venue in Yas Island has already become synonymous with MMA. Numerous UFC cards were held there during the pandemic while it has emerged as the permanent home for UAE Warriors.
UFC 294 is set for the Etihad Arena on October 21st. No fights have been confirmed at the time of writing although Khamzat Chimaev is expected to make his middleweight debut on the card.
UAE Warriors 42, Abu Dhabi, May 20th
Ali AlQaisi vs. Jesse Arnett (For bantamweight title)
Juscelino Ferreira vs. Amir Fazli (For middleweight title)
