Athletes
Oumar Sy | Focused On Moving Forward
After Suffering His First Defeat, French Prospect Eager To Get Back Into The Win Column
Whenever a fighter loses for the first time, how they respond to the setback and what their next fight looks like are two major points of interest for fans and observers, and those reactions and follow-up efforts can take myriad different forms.
In the wake of his loss to Alonzo Menifield earlier this year in Atlanta, Oumar Sy took to Instagram to express some thoughts on his initial defeat, opening with an extended message where he declared that he felt he did not do his best, but was proud of all he’s accomplished in just six years as a pro. A few weeks later, he followed it up with a more simple statement: “Jamais mort. C’était notre premier échec nous allons régler ça.”
“Never died. It was our first fail; we’ll fix that.”
“It’s not about the fighting level,” began Sy, who competes for the first time since that outing in Atlanta this weekend at home in Paris, when asked about the messages and the understanding and pragmatic mindset he displayed in the wake of his first loss. “The problem was more about the mindset; it’s like I wasn’t there for my last fight.
“The first step is to understand why it was like that and not do it anymore,” he added. “I think I understand why, so now I have to confirm. The solution is maybe to be more hungry and aggressive.”
The fight with Menifield was a low-output affair, with each man throwing less than 100 significant strikes in the three-round tussle at State Farm Arena, and each connecting on less than 40 percent of their shots. Though all three judges scored the fight the same — 29-28 for Menifield, awarding him the first and three — the opening round was closer than that unanimous verdict even indicates.
MORE UFC PARIS: Fighters On The Rise | Fight By Fight Preview | Homefield Advantage
Sy actually landed twice as many shots as the Texan, but spreading things around to all three levels and the sheer force with which Menifield throws and connects was enough to swing things in his favor, both for the opening stanza and the fight as a whole.
When asked if he cared to elaborate on what he felt was askew in his last outing, the soft-spoken French light heavyweight was quick to express his desire to move on.
“I don’t want to speak any more about the last fight,” he said flatly. “There is a new one, a new mindset, so (I want to focus on that).”
If there is a silver lining to his fight with Menifield in June it’s that Sy came out of things completely unscathed, which made the opportunity to turn around and compete on this weekend’s fight card at Accor Arena in Paris possible.
THE 10: September Standouts From Years Gone By
After facing a ranked veteran last time out, the 29-year-old prospect steps back in on Saturday against Brendson Ribeiro, a member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’23 who is also looking to rebound after having his own two-fight UFC winning streak halted by a Top 15 mainstay last time out.
“It was like I didn’t fight,” Sy started when asked about returning to action this weekend. “I was without any injuries, so I just wanted to come back as soon as possible. The good reason is it’s in my city, my hometown, so this is a good thing to come back.”
Having spoken with Sy ahead of his bout with DaWoon Jung last year in “The City of Light,” which he won by unanimous decision, I recalled that fighting at home wasn’t something he was overly connected to one way or another. His focus was on stepping in with the South Korean divisional staple and continuing to garner more experience.
A year later and with the bitter taste of defeat lingering, does a return in a familiar setting feel any more meaningful this time around?
“I don’t care,” he said. “All that is important for me is to win on Saturday.”
Though some might see that as dismissive and even stubborn, what it truly shows is the level of focus and drive Sy has when it comes to pursuing his craft and wanting to improve, which is further illustrated by the fact that he still ventured to American Top Team for his training camp, despite this weekend’s event taking place in his own backyard.
He made the trek to South Florida ahead of his debut win over Tuco Tokkos, had coaches from the powerhouse outfit in his corner last September, and was back there for eight weeks readying for Menifield. But many athletes that travel abroad for training opt to stick close to home if their next bout offers up the option to do so, but not Sy.
“I like it because we train hard and my partners have a high level, so it’s good for me,” he said of training with the squad at ATT, continuing to keep things short, direct, and focused.
Though he’s never one to be verbose, there was an even greater sharpness to Sy as we spoke on Tuesday, almost as if the greater sense of urgency he believes he needs to show inside the Octagon was spilling out into our conversation; the midday discussion another obstacle that needed to be cleared from the road so he could get to the other thing that matters to him at this point in time: his fight on Saturday with Ribeiro.
In that first Instagram post discussing his loss to Menifield, the driven French fighter opened by saying, "I didn't deserve better I'm deeply frustrated because it wasn't me and I didn't give my best,” so I asked what the real Oumar Sy looks like this weekend.
“The real Oumar is aggressive, domination, and he comes for a win,” he answered. “I’m here for the race. The last fight was an accident. I just want to prove that, I don’t want to stay on this bad performance.
“I want to (put that behind me) and continue ahead.”
UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho took place live from Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags