Fight Coverage
Why The UFC In Paris Is Such A Big Deal
The Long Road To The UFC's First Event In France
June 24, 2019 will forever be carved in the history of mixed martial arts as the day the sport was legalized in France. French Minister of Sport Roxana Maracineanu lifted what amounted to a 15-year ban on the sport in the country. After progressing through several phases towards regulation, including housing the development of MMA under the French Boxing Federation, the UFC is finally set to embark on its first event in the country this Saturday in Paris with UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa.
For regions that have had the UFC for many years, the idea of the sport not even being legal or available on television can be difficult to get your head around. In France, however, this occasion is nothing short of momentous.
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“People are excited,” says UFC Senior VP of International & Content David Shaw. “I think people know how big UFC 129 was in Toronto when we did the first event in Ontario. I think people know how big the first stadium show with Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm was when we did UFC 193 in Melbourne and people know how big the first event at Madison Square Garden was. So there's an extra special element to it the first time in a market and the magnitude that event brings because it's the first time.
UFC Athletes Answer French Trivia | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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UFC Athletes Answer French Trivia | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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"We are living in a world where everything is digital...information is coming so fast from one part of the world to another and all the young people from like the 15 to 30 generation, they have been living with Google of all their life,” he explains. “MMA has already been here on video, on UFC FIGHT PASS and on TV for a long time through the Internet. Now it's also on French TV and French soil. It's great."
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Still, it might take French audiences some time to get used to seeing the UFC on a television broadcast week after week like wide swaths of other European audiences already do. But the country is no stranger to combat sports. On the contrary, France has a long history of excellence in judo, karate and boxing, winning Olympic medals many times over.
“We feel very, very confident that because of the history of martial arts, there is going to be a massive built-in audience,” says Shaw. “We're not as naive to think, ‘Oh, we're just going to walk in and be able to capture the hearts in the minds of every judo fan that's existed in this country.’ That's not the case. But at least there is some context and there's some appreciation for that specific skill set and that discipline that we understand is going to translate really well to potential fandom within the mixed martial arts community. Our sport is different in that we're young and we're nimble, more flexible, and we're digitally focused.
In The Gym With Ciryl Gane | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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In The Gym With Ciryl Gane | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
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“I think this is the first of many exciting events in this country. And one that can help truly make French MMA a leader in global MMA in the same way that the Brits and the Australians and the Russians and the Brazilians and the Canadians have all become. “It's not too long before we're going to see multiple French champions throughout the UFC.”
Main Event Preview | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa
Born in La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France, Ciryl Gane is one of those championship hopefuls. Beyond the honor of headlining the UFC’s first event in his home country, the heavyweight sees himself as the country’s ambassador for the sport.
“I’m the fighter with the French flag and I hope I help the sport,” says Gane. “Just three years ago the people thought the sport was just in the bar and barbaric. Today, with my image, with my profile, people understand that I’m very kind and I smile every time. I have value,” Gane said. “For me, it means a lot that I’m the headliner. I inscribed my name on my history and on the history of French MMA and I’m really happy about that.”
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Tuivasa took place on September 3, 2022, live from the Accor Arena in Paris, France. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
