Former UFC star Ray Borg to fight on UAE Warriors 20 card

Borg faces Jesse Arnett, 36, at the Zayed Sports City’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena on June 19

Ray Borg (standing) in action at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg makes his return to Abu Dhabi and mixed martial arts competition at UAE Warriors 20 next month.

Borg suffered a split decision loss to Ricky Simon at UFC Fight Island held on Yas Island in May 2020. He faces Jesse Arnett, 36, who is appearing on his second UAE Warriors card, at the Zayed Sports City’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena on June 19.

Known as the "Tazmexican Devil”, Borg's MMA record stands at 13-5, while Canadian Arnett's victory over Algerian Elias Boudegzdame at UAE Warriors 15 on January 15 moved him to 18-6.

Borg, 27, was released from UFC last August after he withdrew from two consecutive fights. He announced his retirement but soon back-tracked on that decision and is now champing at the bit to prove himself again.

“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 was quoted as saying by MMA Junkie.

Fouad Darwish, managing director of Palms Sports, the organisers of the UAE Warriors, said it spoke of the promotion's growing reputation that it can attract the world's top talent.

"To have Ray, one of the better fighters in the flyweight division and one with a pretty good track record, certainly augurs well for us," Darwish told The National.

“He is young, well-known and a tough guy. We have arrangements with both UFC and Bellator, so we may have fighters moving back and forth between the promotions.

“But this particular fight is a bigger one than some others. Our objective, however, is to continue drawing the best talents from every single organisation. We love working with all the promotions and those icons in the UFC world.

“We love them and we want to work with all the promotions. So, for us to have the Ray Borg versus Jesse Arnett in our fight card is super. Jesse is another strong fighter with a good record.”