Former UFC fighters Austin Arnett, Kyle Bochniak, Andre Soukhamthath to compete at CES 61

Austin Arnett is one of three former UFC fighters looking to get back on the winning track when he makes his CES debut.

The Rhode Island-based promotion announced Tuesday that Arnett (16-7) will fight Dinis Paiva (13-7) in a featherweight bout at CES 61 on April 24 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

In four Octagon appearances, Arnett managed just one win, a unanimous decision over Humberto Bandenay in November 2018. His losses came against Shane Young, Hakeem Dawodu, and Cory Sandhagen. He has lost four of his last five, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Elias Boudegzdame at a UAE Warriors show in Abu Dhabi.

UFC veterans Kyle Bochniak (8-5) and Andre Soukhamthath (13-8) were also recently added to the CES 61 card. Bochniak meets Jonathan Gary (13-11-2) in a featherweight bout, while Soukhamthath takes on Da’Mon Blackshear (7-3) at 135 pounds.

Bochniak was just 2-5 in his UFC run, but made waves in the promotion with a Fight of the Night performance against top contender Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 223. He began his career with CES in 2014, going 6-0 before signing with the UFC two years later.

A former CES bantamweight champion, Soukhamthath returns to the promotion for the first time since 2016. The native Rhode Islander won just two of his seven UFC appearances and like Bochniak, may have had his most memorable moment in defeat when he picked up a Fight of the Night award at UFC 222 in a loss to Sean O’Malley.

CES 61 is scheduled to be headlined by a flyweight title bout between champion Blaine Shutt (8-4) and challenger Richie Santiago (8-2). The show airs live on UFC Fight Pass.