Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Paris
Dissecting The Lineup For The UFC’s Annual Trip To ‘The City Of Light’ This Weekend
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X: @SpencerKyte
Saturday night, the UFC makes its third consecutive September trip to Paris, bringing with it a card featuring a host of established and ascending names from the host nation in critical matchups.
Headlined by a sure-fire barnburner in the lightweight division between Renato Moicano and Benoît Saint Denis, this weekend’s event at Accor Arena promises to deliver a tremendous amount of excitement, along with some pivotal results that help clarify the way forward for a number of prospects and influence the direction of things at the top of a couple key weight classes.
Voici un aperçu plus approfondi de la carte de combat de samedi dans cette édition de l'aperçu Fight-By-Fight.
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Main Event: Renato Moicano vs Benoît Saint Denis
Regardless of how the rest of the evening goes, things at Accor Arena are sure to end in fireworks as Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis close things out in a massive lightweight matchup.
“Money Moicano” is undefeated at 155 pounds since relocating to the division following a lengthy stay in the featherweight Top 15, having won three-in-a-row and five straight overall, with a catchweight loss to Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 272 the only recent blemish on his resume. The energetic and attacking Brazilian has earned finishes in four of those five wins, most recently overwhelming Jalin Turner at UFC 300, and looks to continue his push for a place in the Top 10 with another win here.
Saint Denis entered the year on a five-fight winning streak and was penciled in opposite Dustin Poirier in a fascinating matchup at UFC 299 in March. The 28-year-old started well in the co-main event engagement, but was stopped in the second, leaving him looking for a bounce-back effort as he competes in Paris for the third consecutive year.
Individually, each of these men are action-oriented fighters that are constantly chasing the finish, even if that means absorbing punishment and getting into a bit of a dust-up. Pitting them against one another feels like a recipe for a Fight of the Night-type of battle and an electric way to close out what should be an entertaining night on the shores of the Seine.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Nassourdine Imavov vs Brendan Allen
Ascending middleweights Nassourdine Imavov and Brendan Allen face off in the co-main event this weekend in Paris.
Imavov returns to Paris on a two-fight winning streak, having followed up his emotional majority decision win over Roman Dolidze in February with a fourth-round stoppage victory over Jared Cannonier in June. The 29-year-old Russian fighter is 6-2 with one no contest in nine UFC appearances, and can further cement his position in the championship pecking order with a win on Saturday.
Allen is one of the most successful fighters to emerge from Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), having posted a 12-2 record that includes seven wins and counting as he heads overseas to take on Imavov. The Louisiana native avenged one of those two setbacks last time out and has collected eight stoppages amongst his dozen victories, with six of those finishes coming by way of rear-naked choke.
This is an outstanding matchup between fresh contenders in the middleweight division. While there are some familiar names ahead of them in the title chase, the winner of this one will join Caio Borralho in the new wave of championship hopefuls pushing forward in the 185-pound ranks.
William Gomis vs Joanderson Brito
William Gomis and Joanderson Brito clash in a matchup of surging featherweights on Saturday’s main card at Accor Arena.
Gomis has posted wins in each of his first three UFC appearances to extend his overall winning streak to 11. After earning decisions in his first two outings, he collected a third-round stoppage win over Yanis Ghemmouri on the main card of last year’s annual stop in Paris to maintain his unbeaten record inside the Octagon.
Since losing his promotional debut to Bill Algeo on the first fight card of 2022, Brito has rattled off five straight stoppage wins to establish himself as a fighter on the rise in the 145-pound weight class. In his last two outings, “Tubarao” has collected second-round stoppage wins over Jonathan Pearce and Jack Shore to put himself on the fringes of the Top 15.
Featherweight is loaded with talent, but it will be difficult to deny the winner of this one an opportunity to face off with someone stationed in the rankings next time out. Will Gomis delight the partisan Parisienne crowd or will Brito keep rolling?
Kevin Jousset vs Bryan Battle
Welterweights aiming to continue their strong run of results meet here as Kevin Jousset returns to his home country to take on Bryan Battle.
Though he currently trains at City Kickboxing in Auckland, Jousset hails from Bordeaux, France, and finally gets his first opportunity to compete inside the Octagon on home soil. He’s earned wins in each of his first two UFC appearances and five straight overall, setting up this step up in competition.
The TUF 29 middleweight tournament winner Battle has gone 3-1 with one no contest since transitioning to welterweight, posting consecutive stoppage wins over Gabe Green and AJ Fletcher last year to establish himself as a person of interest in the 170-pound weight class. His last fight with Ange Loosa was prematurely halted due to an accidental eye poke, and now “The Butcher” makes the transatlantic journey to see if he can pick up another win.
Both men have done well through the early stages of their respective UFC careers, but if either is going to make a real run at moving up the rankings in the talent-rich welterweight division, the time is now. It’ll be interesting to see if that urgency translates into how they approach things on Saturday.
Morgan Charriere vs Gabriel Miranda
Morgan Charriere looks to get things moving in the right direction again as he faces off with short-notice fill-in Gabriel Miranda in this featherweight main card fixture.
The highly regarded 28-year-old Charriere won his promotional debut last September in Paris, folding over Manolo Zecchini in the first round, but stumbled in his follow-up showing against Chepe Mariscal earlier this year. “The Last Pirate” has long been viewed as an elite prospect, but after 30 professional appearances, it feels like it's time for Charriere to start making a real push.
Miranda steps in for AJ Cunningham, is competing for the first time since last September and just the third time in in the last three years. He lost to Saint Denis in Paris in his debut, but looked strong in his return to action and the featherweight division last time out at UFC 293, submitting Shane Young in the first round.
Can Charriere make a statement or will the Brazilian exorcise the ghosts of his first appearance in Paris by posting an upset win?
Fares Ziam vs Matt Frevola
The main card kicks off with a fascinating lightweight tilt between streaking Frenchman Fares Ziam and Long Island stalwart Matt Frevola.
Ziam began his UFC tenure with a loss and was 2-2 after four fights, but since then, the tall and rangy 27-year-old has posted three straight wins. He spoiled the promotional debut of Michal Figlak two years back in Paris, then bested veteran Jai Herbert before posting a split decision win over his friend and former training partner Claudio Puelles earlier this year to move to 15-4 overall.
Three straight first-round stoppages from the start of 2022 through to UFC 288 last May put Frevola in the Top 15 in the lightweight division heading into his UFC 295 showdown with Saint Denis at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for “The Steamrolla,” he landed on the business of a first-round finish, and returns here for the first time since, looking to get things moving in a positive direction again.
This is a critical bout for each man, as Ziam needs to show he can contend with a battle-tested veteran like Frevola, while the 34-year-old New Yorker has to show that he can bounce back and still hang with the ascending class in the lightweight ranks. However this one plays out, it should be exciting for as long as it lasts.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Ion Cutelaba vs Ivan Erslan
The prelims wrap with what should be a banger, as Ion Cutelaba welcomes Ivan Erslan to the Octagon for the first time.
Now in his ninth year on the UFC roster, Cutelaba has established himself as an all-action fighter in the light heavyweight division, with only four of his previous 16 appearances going the distance. The 32-year-old Erslan is 14-3 overall and has won his last nine inside the distance while competing primarily for KSW.
Oumar Sy vs Da Woon Jung
Unbeaten French prospect Oumar Sy faces off with Da Woon Jung in an intriguing light heavyweight litmus test on Saturday’s prelims.
Perfect through his first 10 pro starts, Sy dominated and finished Tuco Tokkos in his promotional debut earlier this year, and returns to Paris looking to maintain his winning ways. After beginning his UFC tenure with a five-fight unbeaten streak, South Korea’s Jung has now dropped three straight, and competes here for the first time since UFC 293 last September.
Ludovit Klein vs Roosevelt Roberts
Surging lightweight Ludovit Klein faces off with DWCS and Ultimate Fighter alum Roosevelt Roberts in what should be an all-action contest for as long as it lasts.
Klein has been on fire since moving to the 155-pound weight class, posting a 5-0-1 record that includes wins over Ignacio Bahamondes and Thiago Moises. Roberts returned to the UFC last year following a semifinal run on TUF 31, losing to Mateusz Rebecki; he steps in for Nikolas Motta here.
Taylor Lapilus vs Vince Morales
Talented veteran Taylor Lapilus welcomes Vince Morales back to the Octagon in this intriguing bantamweight clash.
Lapilus has alternated wins and losses since returning to the UFC last September with a win over Caolan Loughran, most recently beating divisional mainstay Cody Stamann. A DWCS alum with eight previous UFC appearances under his belt, Morales has gone 5-0 since his last Octagon appearance, most recently submitting fellow DWCS alum Hunter Azure.
Daria Zhelezniakova vs Ailin Perez
Daria Zhelezniakova and Ailin Perez clash in a battle of Intriguing bantamweight talents on this weekend’s preliminary card.
The 28-year-old Zhelezniakova won her promotional debut over Montserrat Rendon earlier this year, extending her record to 9-1 in the process. Since dropping his UFC debut to Stephanie Egger in September 2022, Perez has posted three straight unanimous decision victories, most recently beating Joselyne Edwards in a grudge match at UFC 302 in June.
Daniel Barez vs Victor Altamirano
Flyweights looking to get back into the win column meet early in the evening in Paris, as Daniel Barez shares the Octagon with Victor Altamirano.
Barez started well in his promotional debut last July against Jafel Filho, only to fade quickly and get finished by the promising Brazilian. A member of the DWCS Class of ’21, Altamirano arrives in Paris on a two-fight skid, most recently landing on the unhappy side of a narrow split decision loss to Felipe dos Santos.
Nora Cornolle vs Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Nora Cornolle and Jacqueline Cavalcanti face off in an intriguing, short-notice bantamweight pairing on Saturday.
France’s Cornolle has earned eight straight victories overall, including each of her first two UFC starts, having most recently scored a second-round stoppage win over Melissa Mullins in April. Cavalcanti steps in for Germaine de Randamie, having just picked up her second straight UFC win late last month in a victory over Josiane Nunes.
Bolaji Oki vs Chris Duncan
Dana White’s Contender Series alums open the show as Bolaji Oki and Chris Duncan kick things off at Accor Arena on Saturday.
Sporting a 9-1 record overall, Oki has earned nine straight victories, following up his contract-winning turn on Season 7 of the annual talent-search series with a hard-fought, split decision win over Timmy Cuamba in February. Duncan, a Class of ’22 grad, won each of his first two appearances inside the Octagon before getting stopped by Manuel Torres last time out.
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