Jesse Arnett (19-8) believes his upcoming clash with Ali Alqaisi (12-5) at UAE Warriors 30 could be the moment that validates every step of his fighting journey.
At 37, Arnett steps into the featherweight title picture after making the move up in weight class, a shift sparked by his stunning upset of then-undefeated Gadzhimurad Gasanguseynov back in March.
Following that victory, Arnett says he opened the door to any matchup he desired—and he chose the featherweight championship opportunity. Yet the Calgary-born fighter admits it was a lengthy process to get Alqaisi on board.
"He's been rolling, but Tony Kelley is the hardest opponent he's faced, and I'm better than Tony Kelley," Arnett told MMA Empire. "I'm the first guy in the top 30 world rankings he's met, aside from maybe Tony, and I've gone toe-to-toe with plenty of top-30 fighters."
"Plus, I know he sat on this fight for 25 to 30 days before finally agreeing to the contract. He's tough, he's durable, and he performed better in the UFC than most give him credit for. I thought he beat Irwin Rivera. He's only been finished once and has been on a tear, though the level of opposition hasn't been particularly sharp."
With the weight-class jump to featherweight, Arnett anticipates his striking power will stand out significantly more than in his previous bouts.
The Canadian fighter recognizes Alqaisi's iron-clad durability—he's only been stopped once—but Arnett is confident he's the superior striker and projects a third-round-or-earlier TKO to capture the belt.
"I'd say there's about a 70 percent chance we go to the decision, mostly because he's so tough to finish," Arnett broke down.
"But what I'm working on in training and now at featherweight, I'm landing heavy shots. I've got hand grenades in my arsenal and I'm finally learning how to deploy them properly. I definitely want to end it inside three rounds, and I believe I can TKO him, but I think I'll put him away within 15 minutes."
A successful stoppage would crown Arnett the UAE Warriors featherweight champion—and he insists it would be the culmination of his career, even though he's yet to compete in the UFC. He's also planning to hang up his gloves with the organization.
"This will validate my career," Arnett reflected. "In 2017 I'd won 12 straight and earned a UFC shot against Dan Ige at UFC Boston, and that prick with the TKO refused to release me from my contract."
"Now I'm getting older, and this means a lot to me. It's a legitimate world title, and I consider them a top-five promotion globally. I'll be genuinely pleased with this."
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