Athletes
Axel Sola | Ready To Shine On Home Soil
French Lightweight Returns To The Scene Of His UFC Debut As He Chases His Third Win In The Octagon At UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs Parnasse On Saturday, September 5, 2026
The co-main event of UFC Paris will feature an all-French battle at lightweight, as Axel Sola takes on Farès Ziam in a fascinating clash at 155 pounds.
It’s a fight that could deliver one of the best fights of the night at Accor Arena, where a passionate crowd of French MMA fans will pack the stands to produce one of the most raucous atmospheres in the sport.
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For a home fighter, it’s an incredible situation to compete in, and for 28-year-old Sola, it’s an opportunity he feels blessed to have earned so early in his UFC career.
"It's one of the greatest opportunities of my life, like every fight in UFC,” he told UFC.com.
Axel Sola Submits Ismael Bonfim In Round 1 | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Axel Sola Submits Ismael Bonfim In Round 1 | UFC Abu Dhabi
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"And especially to be in the co-main event here in Paris is such a great moment for me. And now I have my destiny in my hands.”
When Sola steps into the Octagon on Saturday night, it will be almost one year to the day after he made his UFC debut at the same arena.
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“It was also short notice, like this one, even shorter than this one,” Sola recalled.
“So, I guess UFC Paris is a short notice event for me!”
The short-notice nature of his debut didn’t appear to affect his performance as, driven on by the French crowd, he got his UFC career off to a winning start with a second-round TKO finish of Rhys McKee.
His sophomore outing took him across the English Channel to London in March, where he engaged in a thrilling Fight of the Night battle with Welsh warrior Mason Jones. The bout went the distance, with Sola missing out on the scorecards, but showing his toughness and spirit in the night’s standout contest.
After that fight, Sola went back and made some adjustments, but it wasn’t driven by the result, as he explained.
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“It’s an all-time process,” he said.
“Just taking the time to make things move forward, and it mostly depends on what I'm working on.”
Sola’s work paid off in his next outing as he bounced back in style with a first-round D’Arce choke submission of Brazil’s Ismael Bonfim in Abu Dhabi in July.
Axel Sola: “I Have My Destiny In My Hands” | UFC Paris
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Axel Sola: “I Have My Destiny In My Hands” | UFC Paris
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Now with his record standing at 12-1-1, Sola is ready to return to action on home soil once again, as he takes on compatriot Farès Ziam in Saturday night’s co-main event.
“I was really up for it, because as we know, he has a better ranking inside the UFC than myself, so it’s a great opportunity,” he said.
“He's a very complete fighter with a unique way to manage striking, and he knows how to wrestle, too.
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"So he has his strengths, and during his win streak, his last six opponents didn’t have an understanding of his game – and I think I have.”
The opportunity of fighting someone more tenured in the UFC than himself is enhanced further by the knowledge that it will take place on home soil, where he’s already fought and won, and where the French fans always generate an unforgettable atmosphere.
“It'll be the third time I've been at UFC Paris – the second time fighting, third time [overall],” said Sola.
"The energy is great. Actually, it's the best energy from all the UFC [events] I've been to, as a member of the public or as a fighter, so I can't wait to be there.”
To be thrust into a co-main event fight on home soil so early in his UFC career was an unexpected surprise for Sola, who also has the challenge of facing a fellow countryman in the Octagon.
“I was not expecting [a co-main event opportunity] to happen that early," he admitted, before turning his attention to his opponent once again.
“Yeah, [we’ve met], but not on the mat. It was outside the cage, and he’s a very nice dude. But Saturday night, we’re not gonna be friends.
READ: Preview Every Fight At UFC Paris
“On the night, my job is to make the place he feels good feel hard, and to make the place he feels bad feel good for me.”
And when we asked him what a victory over Ziam would do for his career, and what he could expect next after Saturday night, Sola signed off with the sort of quote that French soccer legend Eric Cantona would have been proud of.
“I never sell the skin of the bear before killing it.”
Fin.
UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs Parnasse took place live from Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 5, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!