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French Breakdown | UFC Paris
There’s A Chance For Nine French Fighters To Get Their Hand Raised This Saturday When UFC Returns To Paris For UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Saint Denis
UFC returns to Paris, France for UFC Fight Night Moicano vs Saint Denis. Accor Arena will host 14 fights this Saturday, nine of which have a chance for a fighter who calls France home to leave with their hand raised. Here’s a closer look at each one.
Benoît Saint Denis
Division: Lightweight
Birthplace: Nîmes, France
Professional Record: 13-2
Streak: L1
Order UFC 307: Pereira vs Rountree Jr.
The Scoop: No. 12 ranked lightweight Benoît Saint Denis returns to his native France for his first UFC headliner against Renato Moicano. This marks Saint Denis’ third appearance at the Accor Arena, where he previously secured victories over Thiago Moises and Gabriel Miranda in front of his home crowd. After dropping his UFC debut, Saint Denis went on a five-fight winning streak, finishing all his opponents (three knockouts and two submissions), before facing former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in March. Now, Saint Denis aims to bounce back against Moicano, who’s collected three impressive wins in a row against Jalin Turner, Drew Dober and Brad Riddell.
Nassourdine Imavov
Nassourdine Imavov | What Makes A Contender?
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Nassourdine Imavov | What Makes A Contender?
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Division: Middleweight
Birthplace: Dagestan, Russia (fighting out of Paris, France)
Professional Record: 14-4
Streak: W2
The Scoop: Surging middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov can secure his third victory against a Top 10 opponent in 2024 in Saturday’s co-main event against Brendan Allen. Imavov enters this fight fresh off back-to-back wins over Roman Dolidze and former title challenger Jared Cannonier. A win on Saturday would solidify Imavov’s position as the No. 4 ranked middleweight behind champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champions Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. Brendan Allen poses a significant threat, coming into their matchup on a seven-fight win streak, with five of those victories coming by submission.
William Gomis
Division: Featherweight
Birthplace: Montivilliers, France
Professional Record: 13-2
Streak: W11
Get Ready For UFC's Return To Paris With Our Fight By Fight Preview!
The Scoop: After starting his professional career with a 2-2 record, William Gomis has since put together an impressive 11-fight win streak, with three victories in the UFC. He returns to Paris for the third consecutive year, having previously secured a decision win over Jarno Errens and a TKO victory over Yanis Ghemmouri in his last outing. This Saturday, Gomis will face the dangerous Joanderson Brito, who boasts eight knockouts and seven submissions, including five stoppage wins in his last five fights.
Kevin Jousset
Division: Welterweight
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Professional Record: 10-2
Streak: W5
The Scoop: It’s been a long layoff for Kevin Jousset, who will make his first appearance in the Octagon in 2024 after winning all four of his bouts last year. Jousset made his UFC debut at UFC 293 last September, submitting Kiefer Crosbie via rear-naked choke in the first round. He followed that up with a unanimous decision victory over Song Kenan just three months later. On Saturday, Jousset aims to extend his winning streak to six against North Carolina’s Bryan Battle, who has finished three of his last five opponents.
Morgan Charriere
Division: Featherweight
Birthplace: Poissy, France
Professional Record: 19-10-1
Streak: L1
Fighters On The Rise, Paris Edition
The Scoop: Morgan Charriere is France’s biggest favorite on the card as a -675 favorite over Brazil’s Gabriel Miranda. Although Charriere is just 1-1 in the UFC, he has showed his potential with a TKO victory over Manolo Zecchini and a split decision loss to the rising Chepe Mariscal. Miranda also holds a 1-1 record in the UFC and is coming off a sub-one-minute submission win over Shane Young last September.
Farès Ziam
Division: Lightweight
Birthplace: Vénissieux, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Professional Record: 15-4
Streak: W3
The Scoop: After winning five of his last six fights, Farès Ziam is beginning to establish himself in the ultra-competitive UFC lightweight division. Following a submission loss to Terrance McKinney in 2022, Ziam has secured three consecutive victories over Michal Figlak, Jai Herbert and Claudio Puelles. He returns to Paris to face Matt Frevola, who’s last five fights have all ended in the first round.
Oumar Sy
Division: Light Heavyweight
Birthplace: Paris, France
Professional Record: 10-0
Streak: W10
Inside The UFC Paris Main Event Between Moicano & Saint Denis
The Scoop: There’s few more promising light heavyweight prospects than undefeated Paris native Oumar Sy. He entered the UFC with a 9-0 record, featuring six first-round finishes and seven stoppage victories. Sy made his first walk to the Octagon in May, submitting Tuco Tokkos less than four minutes into the first round via rear-naked choke, a familiar sight for those who watched him compete prior to joining the UFC. He will put his undefeated record on the line this Saturday against Da Woon Jung.
Taylor Lapilus
Division: Bantamweight
Birthplace: Paris, France
Professional Record: 20-4
Streak: W1
The Scoop: Paris’ own Taylor Lapilus returns to the Octagon on Saturday for the third time in 2024. After starting the year with a setback against Farid Basharat, Lapilus bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Cody Stamann in June. He aims to continue that success against Vince Morales. Both fighters have experienced two separate stints in the UFC. Lapilus made his UFC debut in 2015, winning three of four fights before collecting seven victories in various promotions prior to his second arrival to the UFC in 2023. Morales enters his UFC return this weekend riding a five-fight winning streak.
Nora Cornolle
Nora Cornolle Goes To The Body To Get The Finish | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2
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Nora Cornolle Goes To The Body To Get The Finish | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2
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Division: Women’s Bantamweight
Birthplace: Epinay Sur Seine, France
Professional Record: 8-1
Streak: W8
MORE UFC PARIS: Co-Main Event Spotlight | Last Time In Paris | Prospect To Watch
The Scoop: Nora Cornolle has the chance to avenge the only loss of her professional career against Jacqueline Cavalcanti on Saturday. Cornolle was initially set to face Germaine de Randamie, but de Randamie was removed from the bout just a couple weeks ago. Cavalcanti steps in as a short-notice replacement, coming off a victory over Josiane Nunes last month. It’s been three years since their first meeting, and it will be intriguing to see how both athletes have evolved since.
UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Saint Denis took place live from Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 28, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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