Ali Al Qaisi and Jesse Arnett could be set for a trilogy fight after their second encounter for the UAE Warriors featherweight saw the Jordanian earn revenge with a third round stoppage at the Etihad Arena on Saturday.
Arnett won their first meeting in July after a second round stoppage by the cage-side doctor left Al Qaisi, who had suffered a deep cut above his eye, enraged. But there was no denying Al Qaisi in the rematch.
The Jordanian “Royal Fighter” dominated from the outset before ending the contest with a guillotine choke one minute and 25 seconds into the third round.
Al Qaisi started fast by sending Arnett crashing to the canvas with a right jab before getting on top of the Canadian after the opening bell of the five-round contest. Arnett escaped punishment by slipping out but Al Qaisi unloaded a barrage of punches to finish the round on top.
The second round was less intense, although Al Qaisi landed the better with scoring punches.
Arnett tried to grapple Al Qaisi early in the third round, and his second attempt proved fateful as the Jordanian trapped him with the steely choke-hold.
“Thank god I won. The record between us now stands at 1-1 and I wouldn’t mind a third meeting with Jesse to put the championship record straight,” Al Qaisi said.
“I would like to thank the promotion for the wonderful job they have done in arranging this title contest. They now have the best Arab MMA fighter in the UAE Warriors that can compete with anyone around the world.
“I want to thank all my fans around the world for the support they have extended to me and all those who came to cheer me tonight. When I come out of the cage I will stand with each and everyone who would want to take a photo with me.”
Arnett acknowledged he was outclassed by Al Qaisi on the night and looked forward to a deciding third meeting for the featherweight title.
“Hats off to the Royal Fighter,” Arnett said. “That’s the best he’s done against me. He caught me off balance in the first round. He got on top of me. I’m not finding any excuses. Does Abu Dhabi like to see No 3?”
In the other title contest, Josh Togo won the vacant UAE Warriors welterweight title in the co-main event.
The Lebanese-Australian, who was the underdog going into the contest, scored a hard fought unanimous decision over Azerbaijan's Tahir Abdullaev.
Elsewhere on the card, Brazil's Iago Ribeiro scored the biggest win of his career with a decision win over TITAN FC champion and DWCS veteran Juan Puerta, Yerkin Darmen caused a huge upset with a TKO victory due to doctor stoppage over American Tyler Ray, and Kuwaiti Abdulla Al Bousheiri emphatically submitted former UFC fighter John Adajar.
