Nassourdine Imavov, William Gomis, Morgan Charrière… almost all the French won during this UFC Paris on September 28 and often in style. In an evening that seemed more like a test than a celebration for French MMA, only the defeat of Benoît Saint-Denis really left a mark at the end of a rather successful event on a sporting level.
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The Parisian UFC evening, which returned to the capital for the third consecutive year, got off to a somewhat timid start this Saturday. During the last editions, the cards had always been launched by great French victories, sometimes with spectacular victories. This time, Bercy was slightly refreshed by the defeat at the decision of Nora Cornolle to open the evening of the tricolors.
Fortunately, Taylor Lapilus, now with 21 career victories, and Oumar Sy, still undefeated after eleven fights, warmed up an already almost full room from the first exchanges of blows in the octagon, a rare thing, but not in Paris. Fares Ziam finished making the Accor Arena hot with a KO victory against Matt Frevola, with a knee to the head at the end of the last round. The American took many minutes to get up and the public did not come down from their cloud.
The smell of blood tickled the French public, who wanted more. Immediately after Ziam’s victory, the man who was supposed to satisfy everyone appeared on the giant screens. Benoît Saint-Denis, the former French special forces man with such special strength, arrived in the bowels of the room. In order to honor for the first time in the main fight of a UFC evening in France, his homeland that he loves so much and to which he likes to put on a show. No one in the room knew it yet, but the man was going to disappoint a lot of people a few hours later.
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No gift for the French…
The spectacular KO inflicted by Morgan Charrière to Gabriel Miranda finished blowing up the thermometer. Except that this year, the UFC has not given French fighters any gifts. The American organization’s previous visits to the City of Lights have served to put French MMA on the world map. Now that he figures prominently there, with a significant contingent of high-level fighters, there is no longer any question of offering affordable opponents to the French who have come to make a name for themselves before the eyes of the local public.
Kevin Jousset paid the price, with a defeat by referee stoppage in the second round. The Parisian public, white-hot and very unaccustomed to seeing their darlings being beaten up on television, even threw a fit. The whistles were so loud for Jousset’s knockout Bryan Battle that not a word of his post-fight interview was audible. A few beers even flew in his direction on the way back to the locker room.
… but gifts for the French public
Fortunately, for those who paid a lot for their tickets and were quick enough to secure a seat in what was once again a sold-out event, everything was back to normal. William Gomis first went for a decision victory in an opposition against Joanderson Brito, even though he was given the loser by the bookmakers. Before Nassourdine Imavov imitated him a few minutes later at the end of an intense fight.
In the end, only the defeat of Benoît Saint-Denis tarnished an evening which ultimately seemed more like a test than a celebration for the French UFC troops. Spectacular finishes, outsiders who won and regulars who ensured, all the ingredients came together before Benoît Saint-Denis collapsed.