Austin Arnett – Karate Point Fighter Turned Standout Mixed Martial Artist

An hour before his fight at Titan FC 37 in Ridgefield, Washington, Austin Arnett made his way to the cage. With his coach and teammates following closely behind, Austin made his way into the cage to gather himself before his first fight with Titan Fighting Championships. Through the chain link I watched as UFC veterans Sam Sicilia and Michael Chiesa shadowboxed with the young pro. Before long, coach Rick Little was going over some game plan material with Arnett, who by all accounts seemed comfortable in the cage. Riding an eight fight win streak, Arnett had been patiently waiting for an opportunity like this one. Being able to showcase his skills on UFC Fight Pass was going to put a lot more eyes on the featherweight title hopeful.

Austin Arnett is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most well rounded young talents. The son of a 4^th degree karate black belt, Arnett has been practicing karate since he was just 3 years old. Because of this strong karate background, Arnett throws kicks with fluidity and precision, and his in and out movement has become a great asset as he continues to develop his ground game. That being said, his ground game is already rather strong. His top position control and back mount appear to be black belt level. But make no mistake about it, he wants to stand and bang.

The former karate point fighter said it himself after the fight; he’s a striker and he is always looking to keep it on the feet. During his bout at Titan FC 37, his karate was effective and accurate. The large numbers of kicks to the abdomen of his opponent were reminiscent of the way Conor McGregor slowed Chad Mendez with kicks back at UFC 189 in July. Add to that the crisp jabs that he landed routinely throughout the fight and it was clear to see that he was the dominant fighter in the Titan FC cage.

After the fight, I had a chance to talk to Austin about his performance and where he wanted to go from here.

“I took my last two fights at 155 pounds but I’m a [featherweight]. This is my 9^th win in a row and I am looking to move up [in the rankings] from here. I’d love to challenge for the [featherweight] title. I’ll have my eye on that [featherweight] title fight tonight. I’d love to fight the winner.”

Clearly Arnett is not wasting anytime trying to get after the belt. In a division that is short on challengers for champion Andre “The Bull” Harrison, it is not far fetched to believe that Arnett might only be one fight away from challenging for the featherweight title. One of his biggest supporters is his teammate, Michael Chiesa. Chiesa has called Arnett “the next big thing,” and during his fight, it was Chiesa who could be heard shouting instructions from the stands. With the support of a team like Sik-Jitsu behind him, he will have the support of many UFC fighters and even a pair of Ultimate Fighter winners. Arnett has clearly set himself up for success.

Austin Arnett’s trajectory is going straight up. With a great karate base, life long martial arts training, excellent coaches, and a true love of the sport, Arnett is as well prepared for what comes next as anyone. Titan Fighting Championships seems to have invested in this talented young fighter at exactly the right time. With three fights remaining on his four fight deal with Titan, it might be a challenge keeping him around that long should UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby catch a glimpse of the karate stylist.