It's that time of year again in Canada. It's the perfect time for avid fans to get their fill of football with some meaningful matches before the NFL preseason kicks off on August 1. In the CFL, Friday Night Football Not many people will necessarily be tuning in internationally to TSN or CFL+ this week to watch the 1-1 BC Lions take on the 0-2 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
In the eastern half of Canada, there will be intense competition in Laval as a three-down gridiron war unfolds in Manitoba. Canadian MMA promotion Samurai MMA returns for its second event of 2024. Colisee de Laval is the host site for Samurai MMA Chapter 10.
Similar to Samourai MMA Chapter 9 in February, the event will be streamed live worldwide in English and French on UFC Fight Pass starting at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
Featherweights clash in second title bout on Friday
Barring any postponements or cancellations ahead of Friday's show, the final bout order will feature 11 bouts and three title fights at the top of the list, with the featherweights taking to the stage in the middle bout of the tripleheader immediately following the night's first title bout between flyweights Tommy Morrison and James Clark.
TKO MMA alumnus and current champion Frederick Duplass (7-1 MMA, 5-0 Samurai MMA) will defend his championship belt against challenger Jesse Arnett (20-10 MMA, making his pro debut with Samurai MMA), a 30-fight veteran who is also a TKO MMA and UAE Warriors alumnus.
Like all MMA championship fights in most promotions around the world, this bout is advertised as a maximum of five rounds with five minutes per round.
Fighter comparison
The champion and challenger entering Friday night's featherweight title bout are identical in height at 5-foot-9, which will create a reach disparity. Arnett has a one-inch reach advantage over Duplass (69 inches to 68 inches).
There are currently no oddsmakers offering betting lines on Friday night's Samourai MMA Chapter 10. If you plan on betting on this fight or any other fights taking place this weekend, please bet responsibly.
Frederick Duplass prepares to defend title on Friday night
Frederick Duplass enters Samurai MMA Chapter 10 on Friday night with a 5-0 record in his last five fights. In his last bout, he defeated Jordan Beltran (14-11 MMA, 0-1 Samurai MMA) by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round last September. The Sept. 16 bout took place at the contracted catchweight of 150 pounds.
Statistically speaking, Duplass has won every fight by submission in his professional MMA career, and you have to go all the way back to his final amateur MMA fight, against Sean Lalonde in August 2016, to find the last fight he didn't win by submission (he defeated Lalonde via first-round knockout with a head kick that summer night).
Duplass has been involved under the Samurai MMA banner since the promotion's maiden voyage at Samurai MMA 1 in late 2021. He has won every bout he has fought under the Samurai MMA banner and also has the 145-pound championship to prove it.
UFC CEO Dana White may not be able to watch Frederick Duplass fight at Samurai MMA Chapter 10 on Friday night, but a successful belt defense could lead to a promotion to the sport's top promotion.
Arnett returns from 13-month leave of absence
Meanwhile, Jesse Arnett is 2-3 in his last five fights, losing his last three bouts to Ali Al-Qaisi (15-8 MMA, 6-3 UAE Warriors) at UAE Warriors 42 a year ago.
After that bout, he was scheduled to face Josh Kwiatkowski (9-7 MMA) at the Canada Cup on April 20, but the bout was canceled due to injury. Kwiatkowski was then rebooked to face Amin Almerich (5-3 MMA) on the same card.
Now that Arnette is recovered from his injury, can he stop Frederick Duplass' momentum in the Fight Pass spotlight?
Analysis, Film Study and Predictions
The featherweight championship looks to be a 50-50 fight, with both fighters known for winning by submission.
Duplass has a great ground game.
Frederick Duplass is a submission specialist, so once the fight hits the mat, it can end in a flash. Check out this video of his bout against Patrick Connors from Samurai MMA Chapter 1.
Just over two minutes into the bout, Duplass secured the top mount and quickly began to torque, winning via head choke and arm choke. If Frederick Duplass can get Jesse Arnett to the canvas, he'll be able to control the pace of the fight.
Arnett is just as brutal.
In the opposite corner, Jesse Arnett sings, “Anything you can do, I can do more,” and he can rush and get the job done on his own, as he did in his TKO bantamweight championship bout with Dmitri Waardenberg in 2017. Once he had Waardenberg down, he quickly jumped on a right elbow and set up a D'Arce choke.
Jesse Arnett has to beat Frederick Duplass with a takedown to end Duplass' reign as champion. If he can get Duplass down first, he'll be successful.
Final thoughts
Samourai MMA Chapter 10 is the first MMA show of the summer, so it's only natural that there will be fireworks all night long, including this featherweight championship.
Prediction: Frederick Duplass wins by submission in the first round.
