In his latest announcement UFC president Dana White announced headliners for three upcoming fight nights one of which is UFC Paris. Cyril Gane faces off against Serghei Spivac at UFC Paris this September, this follows the great successes from last years event in the French capital. We take a look at who may feature and potential debuts for French MMA stars currently outside the UFC.
Manon Fiorot
French flyweight Manon Fiorot has been rising through the ranks looking for a shot at UFC gold ever since her UFC debut in 2021. ‘The Beast’ is now 5-0 in the UFC and sits at number 2 in the rankings. With a karate black belt to her name Fiorot is a danger to strike with even for the elite in the division. In her UFC tenure Fiorot has had many cancelled bouts most notably last year she was lining up for a huge main card fight with Jessica Andrade in Paris until Andrade pulled out due to injury leaving Fiorot without the homecoming fight she hoped for. However, the chance for a homecoming has come back around and one must think the UFC will not miss the opportunity to bring the elite striker into the octagon on home soil at UFC Paris.
The belt will be on the line most likely in a rematch between long time champion Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. Therefore a title eliminator most certainly will be on the table. Talia Santos and Erin Blanchfield are two stand out names who were supposed to fight each other earlier this year. Of the pair Blanchfield has been the more active fighter and her recent exemplary destruction of Jessica Andrade proves she is deserving of a title shot. That may be some time away therefore a co-main slot at UFC Paris would be ideal.
Nassourdine Imavov
Dagestani born French Middleweight Nassourdine Imavov has had a mixed UFC career so far. We have seen him very recently at the last numbered card in Canada where he took on Chris Curtis. Unfortunately, the bout was short lived, it ended in the second round due to an accidental clash of heads and was ruled a no contest. Imavov looked excellent during the fight and will want to get back into the win column. The last place he picked up a win was UFC Paris last year.
The Curtis fight was starting to catch fire so we could see the UFC rebook the fight for UFC Paris but plenty of other opponents are available. Options for all European affairs between either Jack Hermansson or against Roman Dolidze who is eager to bounce back from a close split decision loss to top 5 contender Marvin Vettori would be great additions to the card.
William Gomis
Featherweight prospect William Gomis made his UFC debut in Paris last year where he won a majority decision after escaping a last gasp submission attempt from his opponent. Fighting out of the MMA Factory under the tutelage of top trainer Fernand Lopez, Gomis is an exciting addition to the featherweight roster. Now 2-0 in the UFC Gomis will be looking for a finish to really propel himself up the rankings towards the top 15. With 10 wins in a row as a pro the form is red hot for the frenchmen, and the UFC must be finding a real test at featherweight in his next fight.
A surprising fan favourite burst onto the scene this year at late notice, Diego Lopes stepped in against undefeated star Movsar Evolev on UFC 288. The Brazilian provided an astounding performance that earned him his win money even though he lost the decision. Lopes should fight in front of a crowd and there aren’t many better than the Accor Arena in Paris.
Could Abdoul Abdouraguimov Debut at UFC Paris?
Another product of Fernand Lopez and the MMA Factory is Abdoul Abdouraguimov, a frightening 27 year old at 16-1 with 11 submissions to his name. ‘Lazy King’ had earned his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt after just two weeks of training and had claimed his black belt after four and a half years of training. The submission wizard is a double champion in Ares FC holding both belts at welterweight and middleweight. Many view Abdouraguimov as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC so UFC Paris is a chance for him to enter the fray at the sports elite level and test that belief.
Whether ‘Lazy King’ would enter the welterweight or middleweight division is unknown but a plethora of enticing match ups await. There is plenty of hype behind him so the UFC may push him towards the rankings early Marc-Andre Barriault is a veteran test just outside the middleweight rankings however a more intriguing matchup could be against another prospect in Joe Pyfer. At welterweight Kelvin Gastelum has announced his next fight will be down at 170lbs, the battle tested veteran could be a brilliant litmus test for the Frenchman.
Who do you want to see at UFC Paris?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
