Arnett Meets Dupras in Second Title Fight Friday Night

Canadian football comes around this time of year, a perfect way for diehards of the gridiron to get their pigskin fix with meaningful games before the NFL preseason rolls around on Aug. 1. While the CFL has another game on Friday Night Football this week, not everybody will be watching the contest between the 1-1 BC Lions and the 0-2 Winnipeg Blue Bombers on TSN or on CFL+ internationally.

In the eastern half of Canada, as a three-down gridiron war wages in Manitoba, competitive violence will be the order of the night in Laval. Canadian MMA promotion Samourai MMA returns for its second event of 2024. Colisee de Laval is the host venue for Samourai MMA Chapter 10.

Just like for Samourai MMA Chapter 9 in February, this event will be streamed live throughout the world on UFC Fight Pass in English and French, starting at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT.

Featherweights Do Battle in Second Title Fight on Friday

If there are no postponements or cancellations ahead of Friday’s show, the final bout order features 11 contests and three title fights at the top of the bill. Immediately following the first title fight of the evening at flyweight between Tommy Morrisson and James Clarke at flyweight, featherweights take to the stage in the middle bout of the tripleheader.

Current champion Frederik Dupras (7-1 MMA, 5-0 Samourai MMA), an alumnus of TKO MMA, defends his strap against challenger Jesse Arnett (20-10 MMA, Samourai MMA professional debut,) a 30-fight veteran who is himself an alum of TKO MMA and UAE Warriors.

As with all MMA championship fights throughout most promotions in the world, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round.

Fighter Comparison

Heading into this featherweight title fight on Friday night, both champion and challenger stand level at 5-foot-9, so it’s in the reach category where they gain separation. Arnett owns a one-inch reach advantage (69 inches to 68 inches) over Dupras.

Currently, no oddsmakers have made betting lines available for Samourai MMA Chapter 10 on Friday night. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Frederik Dupras Ready to Defend Title Friday Night

Frederik Dupras enters Samourai MMA Chapter 10 on Friday night having gone 5-0 in his last five fights. Last time out, he scored a first-round submission (guillotine choke) against Jordan Beltran (14-11 MMA, 0-1 Samourai MMA) in September of last year. That Sept. 16 fight took place at a contracted catchweight of 150 lbs.

Statistically speaking, Dupras has won every fight in his professional MMA career by way of submission. You’d have to go back to his amateur MMA finale against Shawn Lalonde in August of 2016 to find the last time where he didn’t win a fight by way of submission (he stopped Lalonde that summer night with a first-round knockout via head kick.)

Dupras has been involved with the Samourai MMA banner since the promotion’s maiden voyage in Samourai MMA 1 in late 2021. He’s won every single fight that he’s had under the Samourai MMA signature and has the 145-lb. championship to prove it.

While UFC CEO Dana White may not be able to watch Frederik Dupras in action in Samourai MMA Chapter 10 on Friday night, a successful defense of the strap could lead to a call-up to the sport’s top promotion.

Arnett Returns From 13-Month Layoff

In the other corner, Jesse Arnett has posted a mark of 2-3 over the last five contests. A year ago, he dropped a trilogy fight to Ali AlQaisi (15-8 MMA, 6-3 UAE Warriors) during UAE Warriors 42.

After that fight, he was slated to return to the cage against Josh Kwiatkowski (9-7 MMA) on April 20 at the Canada Cup before the fight was scrubbed due to an injury. Kwiatkowski was then rebooked to fight Amin Almelik (5-3 MMA) on the card.

With Arnett’s injury healed, can he stop Frederik Dupras’ momentum under the Fight Pass spotlight?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Expect a toss-up in the featherweight championship. Both fighters have been known to score the submission.

Dupras Has an Excellent Ground Game

Frederik Dupras is a submission specialist, so once he gets the fight to the mat, it could be over in a hurry. Just look at the tape of his fight vs. Patrick Connors from Samourai MMA Chapter 1.

About two minutes into the fight, Dupras secured top mount and immediately began to apply the torque, locking up a head and arm choke for the win. If Frederik Dupras gets Jesse Arnett to the canvas, he can control the pace of the fight.

Arnett Equally Brutal

In the other corner, Jesse Arnett sings “Anything you can do, I can do better.” He can get the job done in a hurry in his own right, like he did in his 2017 TKO Bantamweight Championship fight versus Dmitri Waardenburg. Upon taking Waardenburg down, he quickly pounced on the right elbow to set up a D’arce choke.

Jesse Arnett has to beat Frederik Dupras to the takedown in order to end Frederik Dupras’ reign as champion. If he takes Dupras down first, he’s golden.

Final Thoughts

With Samourai MMA Chapter 10 being the first MMA show of the summer, it stands to reason that we’ll have fireworks all night long, including in this featherweight championship.

Prediction: Frederik Dupras by First-Round Submission.