Jesse Arnett, Menad Abella, and Alyssa Krahn are set to put on a show Friday night.
The Alberta trio are all featured on the TKO 43 card taking place at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, QC.
Arnett (14-4) will be defending his TKO bantamweight title against up-and-comer Sebastian Ruiz (3-0), who also holds an impressive 17-0 muay thai record.
Ruiz is stepping in on one week’s notice to battle Arnett, 33, after his previous opponents, Luis Rafael Laurentino and Nate Maness, were forced out of competition.
“I think everything happens for a reason, and we’re right on point for the matchup we have now Friday night,” said Arnett in an interview.
“I’ve improved in all areas. I put a lot of work in at Bowmont Boxing and with Jake Peacock at Dunamis, who dialled everything in on the pads.”
Arnett enters his title defence riding an 11-fight win streak, with victories over some of the top bantamweights in North America.
With Ruiz’s strong muay thai base, Arnett said he’ll be looking to make the fight “dirty” and add to his already impressive nine submission victories.
“I’m going to break the kid. I’m a man, and I’m going to show him why he’s a boy,” said Arnett.
“I’m going to show him why I’m on an 11-fight win streak. I’ll grab his neck with the d’arce choke inside two rounds.”
Arnett Shout-Outs: Bowmont Boxing team, Dunamis team, Tilt MMA team
Abella Steps in on Short Notice
Much like Arnett, Abella (5-0) will be looking to leave Quebec City with a championship belt around his waist after stepping in on one week’s notice to take on Jonathan Meunier (8-1) for the TKO welterweight title.
Abella, 33, said while he hasn’t been training as hard as he normally would in a full training camp, he’s confident in his current form.
“I’m confident I’m going to go in there and win this fight. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been training, or what my training camp looked like,” said Abella in an interview.
“I know, in my mind, I’m going to go in there and get that belt.”
Meunier presents the toughest challenge of Abella’s career, with his most recent victory coming at UFC Fight Night 101 over Richard Walsh, and lone loss coming to UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington.
But despite the big jump in competition and lack of a full training camp, Abella said he never hesitated to say yes to the opportunity.
“It’s an amazing opportunity that I said yes to with my eyes closed,” said Abella.
“It was an instant yes. Didn’t even blink.”
Krahn Ready for Stiff Test
In the women’s strawweight division, Krahn (4-1) will also face the toughest test of her career when she meets Polish striker Sylwia Juśkiewicz (8-5) in the cage.
With the style Juśkiewicz brings to the table, Krahn, 30, said she’s expecting cardio to play a big factor, which is an area she’s confident in.
#TKO43: Sylwia Juśkiewicz vs Alyssa "Pumpkin Spice" Krahn
Voilà un combat dont nous n'avons pas suffisamment parlé.
La suite ici: https://t.co/1ZiSj8xpMd
TKO 43 le 4 mai au @centrevideotron#MMAQUEBEC @UFCFightPass @fightnet pic.twitter.com/zAgXptGiFf
— Ken Wong (@radioguerriers) May 1, 2018
“She’s a very aggressive fighter, so there’s going to be a lot of pushing the pace,” said Krahn in an interview.
“Cardio was a big focus to make sure I can maintain good power and speed for 15 minutes without getting too tired.”
Krahn has gone the distance in three of her five professional bouts, while Juśkiewicz has done so in six of her 13 contests.
In their weight class, Krahn said it’s not uncommon to see a bout go to the judges scorecards, and said she’s expecting another tightly-contested battle Friday night.
“I think it’s going to be a three-round war,” said Krahn.
“I think it’s going to come down to whoever’s more mentally tough in this fight.”
