2023-09-02 23:52:10
As in the first edition of UFC Paris, on September 3, 2022, during which the five Frenchmen won, the Tricolores did not disappoint at the Accor Arena. Before Ciryl Gane, the main fight of the evening, they were eight to enter the cage. Six won. A Franco-French fight being programmed, only seven victories were possible. Zarah Fairn and Yanis Ghemmouri bowed out. A brilliant result, which will further advance French MMA.
Convincing Manon Fiorot
The stakes were high for Manon Fiorot, who could hope for a title fight in the event of victory against the legend Rose Namajunas, who is playing her first fight in the flyweight category. But you don’t get rid of a fighter of the caliber of the American so easily. Well prepared and particularly combative, she gave a lot of trouble to the Frenchwoman, who was even thrown to the ground during the second round.
But “The Beast” has proven that she is ready to go for the belt. Very concentrated, despite a significant opening at the temple following a clash of heads, she won by the unanimous decision of the judges. A convincing performance, but will it be enough to convince UFC President Dana White to give him a shot at the title? The champion, Alexia Grasso, defends her belt in any case in two weeks against Valentina Shevchenko, before, we hope, to face Manon Fiorot.
Benoît Saint-Denis on demonstration
“God of War” again offered the public of Bercy a monumental war. Ultra-offensive, as usual, unwilling to take his time in the cage, Benoît Saint-Denis chained the kicks from the first seconds, seriously handicapping his opponent, the Brazilian Tiago Moises. But he wasn’t satisfied with that. Standing as on the ground, he left no respite to a totally overwhelmed Moises, even though he is better ranked.
The fight finally ended seconds from the end of the second round, when the referee ended the torment of the Brazilian, badly beaten and unable to fight back. Twelfth victory in thirteen fights for the Nîmes, again before the limit. What allow him to enter the top 15 of his category, the lightweights? Benoît Saint-Denis is already aiming beyond that. “I will come to defend the UFC belt in Paris when it is around my waist,” he assured the public after his fight, clarifying his ambition.
The Franco-French duel turns to the advantage of William Gomis
Surprising outcome for the first Franco-French duel in UFC history. While we were heading towards a very tight decision, since neither William Gomis nor Yanis Ghemmouri managed to take the advantage, yet another kick from the first put an end to the fight. The second believed that he had received it in the private parts, and asked for a few seconds to recover, but the referee ended the fight, judging that the kick was legal, in the lower abdomen.
???????? Victory by TKO for William Gomis! Big misunderstanding in this third round. Yanis Ghemmouri complains about a blow received to the shell, but this is not what the referee hears of the fight which ends the fight. #UFCParis #RMCMMA pic.twitter.com/RHqvrJeAA6
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) September 2, 2023
It is therefore the resident of the MMA Factory who pockets his third victory in a row in the league, the first before the limit. A victory all the same bitter since the French public booed him at the end of the fight, considering the decision of the referee unfair.
The terrible KO of Morgan Charrière
The Francilien did not go into detail for his first at the UFC. A favorite of the public, Morgan Charrière could have been under the pressure of the expectation that he had been arousing for several weeks. But it was nothing. Boosted, he outrageously dominated his opponent, the Italian Manolo Zecchini, inflicting a violent knockout on him in the first round.
The Frenchman had however started timidly, managing the distance and getting to know the style of his opponent. But the opening came quickly. After a series of kicks to the liver, the Italian seemed to touch, and fled the fight. Determined, Morgan Charrière followed him like prey, and hit his liver again. It was too much time for Manolo Zecchini, who collapsed, and could not defend the series of punches that fell on him next. Four minutes will have sufficed to make a successful entry.
Taylor Lapilus returned Bercy
All of Paris probably trembled as soon as he stepped into the Accor Arena. Faced with a Caloan Loughran who had no hesitation in entertaining the French public from yesterday’s ceremonial weigh-in, giving them numerous middle fingers, Taylor Lapilus was literally carried to victory. Far superior to his opponent in the standing fight, the Parisian managed to resist the onslaught of the Irishman, determined to win on the ground.
Very concentrated, the usual RMC Sport consultant countered all of his opponent’s attempts one by one, before showing diabolical precision with his fists. After an excellent first and third round, he convinced the judges to unanimously give him the victory.
Nora Cornolle has made a successful debut
The former European champion in Thai boxing wanted to bet on what she knows how to do best to shake up Joselyne Edwards, the fight standing up. But the Panamanian understood that by staying in this area, the task was going to be complicated. From the first round, she brought the Francilienne to the ground, however not really trying to submit her.
This sterile domination had the gift of tiring Nora Cornolle, who was struggling more and more to impose her style, despite several reversals. But she did not mark the minds of the judges, who preferred the strike force and the warrior character of the native of Epinay-sur-Seine. Despite a very dangerous strangulation attempt in the last minutes, the Frenchwoman managed to get out of the big arms of Joselyne Edwards to win by unanimous decision. A few days before her fight, she told us: “I am ready in all areas. She proved it.
Fourth loss in a row for Zarah Fairn
She was the first tricolor to fight for this second edition of UFC Paris. And despite the enthusiasm and support of an already extremely large audience, Zarah Fairn bowed to the unanimous decision against Jacqueline Cavalcanti. After a first round of observation, during which the French pushed her opponent back, without actually touching her, the fight accelerated in the second round. More mobile, the Portuguese managed to find openings, but never made her opponent flinch.
In the third round, Zarah Fairn tried to accelerate for the victory, her first in four fights in the UFC. But the first French in history to have signed in the American league did not succeed. Worse, the best sequences were to be credited to Jacqueline Cavalcanti, who calmly managed her fight to win. For her first with the UFC gloves, the Portuguese did not shine, but she returned with the victory.
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