Tag: Jesse Arnett

‘Oh my God, what is happening!?!’: Watch UAE Warriors 30 go off the rails after main event

Ali Alqaisi had to be separated from Jesse Arnett, who escaped out of the cage after his win.

Here’s the thing about MMA: It could be in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, some regional promotion’s event, somewhere overseas, wherever – you just never know when some nonsense could transpire.

It happened Saturday at UAE Warriors 30 in Abu Dhabi after [autotag]Jesse Arnett[/autotag] became the promotion’s new featherweight champion with a win over former UFC fighter [autotag]Ali Alqaisi[/autotag]. The result came under unfortunate circumstances after the cageside doctor stopped the fight because of a cut to Alqaisi.

Video shows that Alqaisi was visibly upset about the doctor’s decision and yelling at the referee for the stoppage. Arnett intervenes and seen says something to Alqaisi as he berates the referee. At that moment, Alqaisi turns his attention to Arnett, and then chaos ensues.

You can watch the situation unfold in the below (via Twitter):

What’s funny is that this didn’t quite reach Khabib Nurmagomedov jumping the cage and attacking Conor McGregor’s corner at UFC 229 or the infamous “Strikeforce: Nashville” brawl with Jake Shields and Jason Miller in 2010, but you’d never know it from the cageside commentator screaming at the top of his lungs.

“OH MY GOD, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!”

Juuust a bit overdramatic, we think.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UAE Warriors returns with July doubleheader featuring two title fights

Two title fights will take place at back-to-back UAE Warriors events in July.

Two title fights will take place at back-to-back UAE Warriors events in July.

UAE Warriors 30 on July 2 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight featuring champion [autotag]Ali Alqaisi[/autotag] (12-5) against Canada’s [autotag]Jesse Arnett[/autotag] (19-8).

UAE Warriors 31: Arabia, which takes place July 3, will be headlined by an inaugural Arabia middleweight title fight between [autotag]Tarek Suleiman[/autotag] (12-8) and Egypt’s [autotag]Eslam Syaha[/autotag] (12-2). The cards will be held at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and stream live on UFC Fight Pass.

A person with knowledge of the matchups recently informed MMA Junkie of the bookings but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Alqaisi has won four straight since parting ways with the UFC in 2020. The Jordanian fighter has captured three featherweight titles along the way: the UAE Warriors belt, the Titan FC belt, and most recently the UAE Warriors Arabia belt when he defeated Ahmed Faress in March. Meanwhile, Arnett snapped a two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Gadzhimurad Gasanguseynov at UAE Warriors 28 in March.

Currently riding a three-fight winning streak all by finish, Syaha will get his biggest opportunity to date when he meets Arab MMA pioneer Suleiman. Syria’s Suleiman saw his three-fight winning streak snapped when he lost to Will Fleury for the inaugural UAE Warriors middleweight title in March but still currently holds the UAE Warriors light heavyweight title.

Ex-UFC title challenger Ray Borg set to fight for UAE Warriors on June 10

After more than a year away from competition, Ray Borg is ready to make his return to MMA.

After more than a year away from competition, [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] is ready to make his return to MMA.

Borg, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, is set to fight [autotag]Jesse Arnett[/autotag] on June 10 at a UAE Warriors event. Borg’s manager, Dominance MMA’s Ali Abdelaziz, and promotion officials informed MMA Junkie of “The Tazmexican Devil’s” booking Thursday. No details were provided about the status of Borg’s contract with the Abu Dhabi-based promotion.

Borg, 27, was released by the UFC last August after withdrawing from two consecutive fights, something that became a trend toward the end of his tenure with the promotion as he dealt with bad luck, a serious illness to his son, and health issues of his own.

Upon his release, Borg initially announced he would retire but later walked back those comments and detailed his mental state as life circumstances got tough. Now he’s happy to be on the verge of a comeback.

“I’m extremely excited to get an opportunity to fight for UAE Warriors and prove to myself that I’m one of the best bantamweights in the world,” Borg said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the opportunity they’ve given me.”

Borg (13-5) last fought in May 2020, losing a split decision to Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Night 171. That result snapped a two-fight winning streak. Prior to that streak, Borg lost a decision to Casey Kenney and was submitted by then-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in the fifth round of their title October 2017 title fight at UFC 216.

Arnett (18-6), Borg’s opponent, is 36 years old. He’ll enter on a three-fight winning streak, most recently earning a split decision over Elias Boudegzdame this past January at UAE Warriors 15.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=none image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]