The UFC returned to the French capital last night for another stellar night of fights, Cyril Gane headlined UFC Paris once again. The Accor Arena would host 11 bouts involving nine French natives on a night looking to celebrate the explosion of MMA across the country. The crowd were incredible throughout the evening ensuring that hopefully, the UFC will be looking to hold UFC Paris events more often than just once a year.
Cyril Gane
Looking to bounce back from a career-worst performance under the brightest lights Gane was hoping a return home would provide the stage for a masterful display. Moldovan wrestling machine Serghei Spivac stood across the octagon with a clear game plan of getting the fight to the canvas, a plan that has worked effectively against Gane in the Frenchmen’s two career losses. The first round was clinical from Gane, a blend of beautiful footwork and accurate striking began to show the gulf in class between the pair early on. The masterclass continued in the second round the bodywork was sickening from Gane and Spivac looked not just one but quite a few steps behind. An onslaught of punches caused a stop to the contest in the second round to cap off a picture-perfect performance.
For many the fight to make now has to be Tom Aspinall, the brit was cage side in Paris after his flawless destruction of Marcin Tybura back in London and although Gane did not call for Aspinall in the post fight the stars look to align the pair before the end of the year. Monstrous puncher Sergei Pavlovich is the rumoured back up fighter for the title fight at UFC 295 so he looks next in line. Speculation on a double retirement at UFC 295 reinforces the idea for Gane and Aspinall to fight for that next shot after Pavlovich or against the Russian in a vacant title bout.
Manon Fiorot
After missing out on last years electric UFC Paris event, Fiorot was determined to fight at the Accor Arena when the chance arose. The opportunity provided the biggest name and test of her career in former 115lbs champion Rose Namajunas. At 5-0 in the UFC Fiorot was surging towards gold all she missed was a star name to top of her winning streak and Namajunas is one of the biggest female stars in the sport. With Namajunas moving up the natural size and strength resided with the Nice born star and it was evident during the fight with every shot Fiorot landed. It was competitive throughout but the pure size and natural strength advantages proved definitive over the speed and technical striking of Namajunas who unfortunately broke her finger in the first round hindering her striking then as the fight progressed.
Manon Fiorot won via unanimous decision for the fourth consecutive fight but this is not due to a lack of finishing prowess but the quality and durability of opponent has continuously improved. The flyweight title picture is awaiting resolution at Noche UFC on September 16th when newly crowned queen Alexa Grasso defends against the dominant former champion Valentina Shevchenko whom she snatched the very belt from. Currently the division has two number one contenders in the eyes of the fans, Fiorot is one and the other is Erin Blanchfield both hold impressive records and are both 6-0 in the UFC. Purely down to timeline if the title bout is a war then both contenders will need a fight in the meantime before the title shot is available, Fiorot vs Blanchfield can easily headline a fight night and will decide who is next for a shot at flyweight gold.
Benoit Saint-Denis
One of the fastest rising stars of French mixed martial arts is Benoit Saint-Denis, at UFC Paris last year he got the party started for a wonderfully successful night for the French fighters who went 5-0 on the card. His style of fighting is violence personified and fans are drawn in to watch every punch he throws. He faced his toughest test to date against Thiago Moises a true veteran who has shared the octagon with some of the very best the division ahs to offer, Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush in particular. Saint-Denis walked out to thunderous cheers alike all French fighters on the night but you could see the intensity in his eyes from the off.
Hunting for the finish from the start he and Moises threw a barrage of punches in a feisty brawl that ignited and pleased the crowd. However, he was berated by his corner telling him to calm it down and not to brawl and as any good professional Saint-Denis took that advice and mauled Moises in the second round. The referee gave Moises every chance to recover or fight back but he was helpless to the cannonade of punches from the Frenchmen. Now 12-1 with a 100% finish rate Saint-Denis looks ready for a shot into the rankings at lightweight, a division stocked to the brim with talent all match ups for Saint-Denis look mouth watering. Renato Moicano, Matt Frevola and Jalin Turner are 3 sensational options, Moicano in Sao Paulo this November could be spectacular.
Morgan Charriere
One of the most popular French fighters outside of the UFC finally made his walk in the premium MMA organisation last night, Morgan Charriere is a true dormant superstar waiting to erupt. Charriere has a huge following due to his personality and fighting style, the fans were out in full force for the former Cage Warriors champion. Coming into his UFC debut with a wealth of experience it was evident that the bright lights would not effect the 27 year old, he faced fellow debutant Manolo Zecchini who boasted a 91% finish rate.
The round started competitively with both men landing well as the round progressed it seemed Charriere was starting to led the dance and control the flow of the fight. However, once Charriere found that liver kick with around 90 seconds left in the round the fight was destined for a big finish. He stalked Zecchini until viciously landing a teep to the stomach folding the Italian before volleying him once again to the stomach for a viral violent finish. This triumph at UFC Paris is the start of a superb journey for Charriere and he could have a meteoric rise similar to the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Ian Machado Garry in recent times. Another relatively new fan favourite Diego Lopes could be the next rung on the career ladder of Charriere in what would undoubtedly be a phenomenal fight.
Taylor Lapilus
One of the most anticipated fights of the night was the featured prelim, Taylor Lapilus vs Caolan Loughran. Alongside aforementioned Charriere, Lapilus was one of the best French fighters outside of the UFC. The bantamweight has previously competed in the organisation, he had a 3-1 record in his first four fights but found himself out of the promotion after his last fight in 2016. Now 7 years on he finally made the walk back into the UFC octagon. Loughran had taken it upon himself to become a heel all week, inevitably raucous booing echoed out as he walked to the Octagon. With an unbeaten 8-0 record one can understand his brash confidence.
Fans saw a tactical matchup as Lapilus wanted to keep it standing and Loughran was looking for ground-and-pound opportunities. Loughran landed a pair of takedowns but was unable to get a lot of effective work from them. Lapilus landed nearly double the significant strikes even though Loughran had over six minutes of control time. As the bell sounded for the end of the third round it was clear to see Lapilus had picked up a rather routine win and will move on towards the bantamweight rankings. At 19-3 and being a champion in other organisations Lapilus should be ready to venture towards the rankings rapidly, Douglas Silva de Andrade is one of the most experienced fighters on the roster and the tough veteran will be a great option to see how far Lapilus is from a spot in the rankings.
Farid Basharat
Early in the night undefeated bantamweight Farid Basharat put his 0 on the line against dynamic striker Kleydson Rodrigues. Brother of fellow undefeated bantamweight prospect Javid Basharat, Farid looks to climb ever closer to the bantamweight rankings where his brother also sits on the outskirts. Rodrigues was coming off a lightning-quick finish in Perth this year with a 59-second KO. Rodrigues was looking for a stunning finish but Basharat remained composed at all times. Eventually, capitalising on an error as he locked up an Arm Triangle towards the end of the very first round to get the first finish of the night at UFC Paris.
Unfortunately for the Afghan he like his brother is not a match-up many bantamweights are clamouring to sign up for, Cody Stamann has had mixed results at bantamweight and would relish the opportunity to take some shine from an undefeated prospect to boost himself back towards the rankings. Furthermore, it is a big enough name to get Basharat some more momentum on his ever-growing win streak.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
