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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Paris
Setting The Stage For The UFC’s Annual Trip To Accor Arena In Paris On Saturday
By E. Spencer Kyte
For the fourth consecutive year, the UFC ventures to “The City of Light” for an early September fight card at Accor Arena.
Much like the previous treks across the Atlantic and to the shores of the Seine, Saturday’s event spotlights several of the top French talents on the UFC roster, as well as a host of additional standouts from Europe and abroad. The crowds in Paris have traditionally been large and loud, and this weekend should be no different, with the lineup on tap sure to give them plenty to cheer about once the action gets underway.
Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov vs Caio Borralho
Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho clash in the main event, with position in the middleweight title chase — and perhaps even a championship opportunity — hanging in the balance.
After competing in the co-main event last year, Imavov moves up one place to headline in his adopted hometown for the first time. The 30-year-old has won four straight, building off his victory over Brendan Allen last September with a second-round stoppage win over Israel Adesanya in February, while continuing to show meaningful little improvements and adjustments each time out.
It took Borralho two tries to convince UFC President Dana White to give him a contract on Season 5 of the Contender Series, and through seven appearances, it’s proven to have been a wise decision, as the Brazilian has yet to lose inside the Octagon. The Fighting Nerds leader picked up a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Jared Cannonier last time out in his first main event assignment, and now ventures into hostile territory look to replicate the effort and remain undefeated in the UFC.
This is the first of two crucial middleweight main events scheduled to take place in the next six or seven weeks; the other is between Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez in Vancouver. A dominant showing for either man here would make them the clubhouse leader in the push to be the first to face new champ Khamzat Chimaev, and those stakes should add to this being a heated and highly competitive battle to close out this weekend’s show.
Co-Main Event: Benoît Saint Denis vs Mauricio Ruffy
Benoit Saint Denis competes in Paris for the fourth consecutive year, welcoming Mauricio Ruffy to the French capital on Saturday.
After posting five wins over a 17-month stretch between June 2022 and November 2023, Saint Denis was primed to make a push in the lightweight division in 2024, only to suffer consecutive losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, the latter of which came in last year’s Paris main event. The French “God of War” rebounded with a dominant effort and second-round submission win over late replacement Kyle Prepolec in May at UFC 315 and will look to build some additional momentum here.
Ruffy is the fourth member of the Fighting Nerds quartet and the least active of the bunch thus far, having made just three starts to date after graduating from Dana White’s Contender Series alongside Carlos Prates and Jean Silva in 2023. He once again flashed his brilliance in March, registering a first-round knockout win over King Green with a beautiful spinning wheel kick that feels assured of a place on the Knockout of the Year podium come December.
Expect fireworks in this one as Saint Denis is one of the more aggressive fighters in the division and Ruffy is a marksman with razor-sharp weapons that are always at the ready.
Bolaji Oki vs Mason Jones
Talented lightweights meet in this main card pairing as Bolaji Oki faces off with Mason Jones.
Another member of the DWCS Class of ’23, Oki has alternated results through his first three UFC appearances. After garnering a split decision win over Timmy Cuamba in his debut, he was submitted by Chris Duncan, only to rebound earlier this year with a more measured and patient victory over fellow Contender Series alum Michael Aswell.
Jones went 1-2 with one no contest in his first tour of duty with the UFC, and earned a return to the Octagon following a four-fight winning streak back under the Cage Warriors banner following his release. He out-worked veteran Jeremy Stephens in Des Moines back in May, and will look to earn consecutive wins inside the Octagon for the first time as he steps in here.
Which of these two attacking lightweights will score a second 2025 victory and which one will one again have to deal with the bitter taste of defeat?
Modestas Bukauskas vs Paul Craig
Modestas Bukauskas and Paul Craig meet in a compelling light heavyweight battle midway through Saturday’s main card at Accor Arena.
Buskauskas arrives having won three straight and five of six since returning to the UFC fold in early 2023. After knocking out Raffael Cerqueira in Seattle to kick off his 2025 campaign, “The Baltic Gladiator” added to his winning ways at UFC 315, landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict in a clash with Ion Cutelaba in Montreal.
Following a four-fight sabbatical in the middleweight division, the 37-year-old Craig returned to the light heavyweight ranks in Atlanta, only for his bout with Rodolfo Bellato to be halted and ruled a no contest in the closing moments of the first round. It was a chaotic moment and one that added to Craig’s continued run of less than satisfying results, but prior wins over current champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Jamahal Hill still make the Scotsman an intriguing name to follow in the 205-pound ranks.
This should play out as a classic “striker versus grappler” pairing, with Bukauskas aiming to keep it standing and Craig focused on bringing the fight to the canvas. Whoever gets their way will likely come out on top.
Farès Ziam vs Kauê Fernandes
UFC lightweight Farès Ziam returns to the Octagon for the second time this year, following an impressive unanimous decision win over Mike Davis back in February. The France native has won five straight fights inside the Octagon, dating back to UFC Paris in September 2022. During that stretch, he’s picked up four wins by decision and delivered a highlight-reel knockout of Matt Frevola.
Standing across from him on Saturday is Kauê Fernandes, who’s bounced back with two straight wins following a loss in his promotional debut. After stopping Mohammad Yahya in the first round last August, Fernandes returned to the Octagon this past March, kicking off his 2025 campaign in style with a dominant performance against Guram Kutateladze.
Patricio Pitbull vs Losen Keita
The main card opens with a fascinating fight between veteran Patricio Pitbull and promotional newcomer Losene Keita.
After dominating multiple divisions in Bellator, Pitbull finally made his way into the Octagon earlier this year, dropping a decision to former interim champ Yair Rodriguez in his promotional debut at UFC 314 in Miami. He bounced back with a good win over game veteran Dan Ige in New Orleans, and now makes another quick turnaround to compete in Paris this weekend.
A former two-division champion in the Oktagon MMA promotion, Keita is a 27-year-old standout with a 16-1 record, 10 finishes, and his lone loss coming as a result of an injury. He’s earned five straight wins, most recently having claimed the lightweight title with a stoppage win over Ronald Paradeiser, and will look to make a splash in his promotional debut on Saturday.
Pitbull is one of a trio of highly touted newcomers that faltered out of the gate, and now Keita will look to avoid the same fate as he squares off with the 38-year-old Brazilian this weekend. The winner should be looking at a Top 10 matchup next time out, so there are real stakes to consider as the main card kicks off with this compelling featherweight clash.
Prelims
William Gomis vs Robert Ruchala
French featherweight William Gomis looks to get things moving in the right direction again when he welcomes Robert Ruchala to the Octagon for the first time this weekend.
A technical striker fighting out of the MMA Factory, Gomis landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict last time out against Hyder Amil, with the loss snapping his 12-fight winning streak. Poland’s Ruchala is a former interim titleholder with KSW and arrives in the UFC on a two-fight winning streak and with an 11-1 record, with his lone setback coming against the ultra-talented Saladhine Parnasse.
Oumar Sy vs Brendson Ribeiro
Light heavyweights collide in Paris as France’s Oumar Sy takes on Brazilian Brendson Ribeiro.
Sy earned victories in each of his first two UFC appearances to run his overall record to 11-0, but was handed his first professional defeat last time out by Alonzo Menifield. Ribeiro scored a second consecutive win earlier this year when he tapped Diyar Nurgozhay in March, but was sent back to the loss column by undefeated contender Azamat Murzaknov at UFC 316 in May.
Marcin Tybura vs Ante Delija
Veteran European heavyweights clash here as Marcin Tybura welcomes Ante Delija to the UFC roster in a rematch of a 2015 bout won by Tybura due to an injury suffered by Delija.
Stationed at No. 7 in the divisional rankings, the 39-year-old Tybura enters on a two-fight winning streak and boasting a 14-8 record inside the Octagon, having bounced Jhonata Diniz and Mick Parkin from the ranks of the unbeaten in his last two outings. Delija is a 31-fight veteran who went 8-3 under the PFL banner over the last four years, with his last two wins coming against UFC alums Yorgan De Castro and Maurice Greene.
Rhys McKee vs Axel Sola
Irish welterweight Rhys McKee enters his UFC Paris matchup following his first win inside the Octagon - a first round TKO victory over Daniel Frunza in April.
He'll face promotional newcomer Axel Sola. The 27-year-old France native is unbeaten as a pro (10-0-1) with five knockouts and one submission to his name. He enters his UFC debut riding a three-fight win streak.
Sam Patterson vs Trey Waters
DWCS alums Sam Patterson and Trey Waters make the walk and share the cage with one another on Saturday evening in Paris.
Patterson has scored a trio of first-round stoppage wins since relocating to the welterweight division, most recently felling Danny Barlow back in March. Waters, whose only career loss came against Gabriel Bonfim on Season 6 of the Tuesday night talent search series, has posted decision wins over Josh Quinlan and Billy Ray Goff to open his UFC career at 2-0 and run his record to 9-1 overall.
Brad Tavares vs Robert Bryczek
Divisional mainstay Brad Tavares competes outside of the United States for the first time in over four years this weekend as he travels to France to take on Poland’s Robert Bryczek.
The longest tenured fighter in the 185-pound weight class, Tavares makes his second start of the year, aiming to build on his unanimous decision win over Gerald Meerschaert in April. The 35-year-old Bryczek landed on the sour side of the scorecards in his promotional debut last February before an injury forced him to the sidelines.
Andreas Gustafsson vs Rinat Fakhretdinov
Andreas Gustafsson and Rinat Fakhretdinov square off in a fascinating welterweight fixture slated for Saturday’s preliminary card.
“Bane” debuted earlier this year with a bloody and grimy decision win over Khaos Williams that instantly set a baseline for where he fits in the 170-pound ranks. Fakhretdinov is unbeaten through his first six UFC appearances, having earned consecutive wins over Nicolas Dalby and Carlos Leal to advance to 24-2-1 for his career.
Shauna Bannon vs Sam Hughes
Strawweights open the show on Saturday as Shauna Bannon and Sam Hughes share the Octagon.
Bannon scored one of the top submission wins of 2025 last time out, responding to getting rocked by locking up a slick armbar against Puja Tomar in London to earn her second straight win. The 33-year-old Hughes has also scored consecutive victories, having landed on the right side of split decisions against Viktoriia Dudakova and Stephanie Luciano in her last two outings.
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