Tag: UFC Paris

City Kickboxing Prospect Kevin Jousset Gets Home Fight, Faces TUF Winner At UFC Fight Night Paris

For the first time in his professional career, UFC welterweight prospect Kevin Jousset is set to compete in front of his compatriots. Jousset made a splash on debut last September in Sydney, following two-division championship glory under Australia’s Hex Fight Series banner with a first-round submission at UFC 293. The Frenchman has long trained alongside […]

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For the first time in his professional career, UFC welterweight prospect Kevin Jousset is set to compete in front of his compatriots.

Jousset made a splash on debut last September in Sydney, following two-division championship glory under Australia’s Hex Fight Series banner with a first-round submission at UFC 293.

The Frenchman has long trained alongside the likes of Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker at New Zealand’s City Kickboxing, fighting exclusively in Oceania prior to his UFC signing. And having competed on United States soil for the first time in his sophomore Octagon outing, Jousset is now set for a homecoming this fall.

Per MMA Junkie’s Nolan King, “Air” has been added to the upcoming UFC Fight Night in Paris, France, on September 28. There, he’s set for a step up in competition against Bryan Battle, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight tournament.

Home Favorite Jousset Targets Third Straight UFC Win At The Expense Of Battle

When Jousset makes the walk to what will no doubt be a positive reception at Accor Arena, he’ll be looking to maintain his perfect UFC slate.

Jousset (10-2) lost two of his first seven pro fights, the first of which came against current top five welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena under the Eternal MMA banner. But since a split decision setback in 2022, the 31-year-old has won five straight to have two titles in his possession, as well as a UFC contract.

And after submitting Kiefer Crosbie Down Under and outpointing Song Kenan at the Apex last December, “Air” is next tasked with stalling the welterweight ambitions of Battle (10-2, 1 NC) in his first assignment of 2024.

One fight on from his TUF triumph, “The Butcher” committed to a move down in weight, and he debuted at 170 pounds emphatically by knocking out Takashi Sato with a brutal head kick just 44 seconds into their fight. While he subsequently fell to a decision against the highly regarded Rinat Fakhretdinov, he bounced back with a 14-second knockout of Gabe Green and second-round submission of AJ Fletcher.

Having had his strong start opposite Ange Loosa earlier this year rendered null when the Swiss fighter couldn’t continue following an eye poke, Battle will look to get back to the winner’s circle by upsetting Jousset’s home crowd in the French capital later this year.

With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night in Paris on September 28 are as follows:

  • Renato Moicano vs. Benoît Saint Denis (lightweight main event)
  • Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen (middleweight)
  • Germaine de Randamie vs. Nora Cornolle (women’s bantamweight)
  • William Gomis vs. Joanderson Brito (featherweight)
  • Kevin Jousset vs. Bryan Battle (welterweight)
  • Daniel Barez vs. Victor Altamirano (flyweight)
  • Oumar Sy vs. Da Woon Jung (light Heavyweight)
  • Dariya Zhelezniakova vs. Ailín Pérez (women’s bantamweight)

Continue Reading City Kickboxing Prospect Kevin Jousset Gets Home Fight, Faces TUF Winner At UFC Fight Night Paris at MMA News.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards. With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. In recent days, a […]

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All at MMA News.

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards.

With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

In recent days, a few notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

A number of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights falling through or being adjusted. For those, see below:

And for more detailed information on one newly booked fight that may have flown under your radar between July 8 and July 14, scroll down and check out this week’s UFC Matchmaking Bulletin spotlighted fight.

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen – UFC Paris (September 28)

Despite posting a social media video in which he refused to fight Nassourdine Imavov in the French capital if he wasn’t the main event, it appears Brendan Allen has agreed to a European trip for his next assignment.

Allen (24-5) has won seven straight since a knockout loss to Chris Curtis, the most recent of which saw him avenge that setback in an Apex main event this past March. “All In” also headlined in his two previous bouts at the Las Vegas facility, with the first coming as a same-day change following the cancellation or Ryan Spann vs. Nikita Krylov.

While he’s yet to headline inside an arena, and Benoît Saint Denis is regarded as the leading French fighter expected to feature on September 28 rather than Imavov (14-4, 1 NC), Allen still rejected the notion he should be anything but one half of the UFC Paris main event. For whatever reason, that stance has changed and the American will be heading to enemy territory, where he’s tasked with stalling the title ambitions of the #4-ranked Imavov, who has won two straight main events over Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in 2024.

This middleweight matchup was first reported by FightMinds.

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All at MMA News.

UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards. With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. In recent days, a […]

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All at MMA News.

MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards.

With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

In recent days, a few notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:

A number of lower-profile matchups also came together. For those, check out this week’s quick hits:

But it wasn’t all positive, with two fights falling through or being adjusted. For those, see below:

And for more detailed information on one newly booked fight that may have flown under your radar between July 8 and July 14, scroll down and check out this week’s UFC Matchmaking Bulletin spotlighted fight.

Nassourdine Imavov vs. Brendan Allen – UFC Paris (September 28)

Despite posting a social media video in which he refused to fight Nassourdine Imavov in the French capital if he wasn’t the main event, it appears Brendan Allen has agreed to a European trip for his next assignment.

Allen (24-5) has won seven straight since a knockout loss to Chris Curtis, the most recent of which saw him avenge that setback in an Apex main event this past March. “All In” also headlined in his two previous bouts at the Las Vegas facility, with the first coming as a same-day change following the cancellation or Ryan Spann vs. Nikita Krylov.

While he’s yet to headline inside an arena, and Benoît Saint Denis is regarded as the leading French fighter expected to feature on September 28 rather than Imavov (14-4, 1 NC), Allen still rejected the notion he should be anything but one half of the UFC Paris main event. For whatever reason, that stance has changed and the American will be heading to enemy territory, where he’s tasked with stalling the title ambitions of the #4-ranked Imavov, who has won two straight main events over Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in 2024.

This middleweight matchup was first reported by FightMinds.

Continue Reading UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/8-7/14): Brendan Allen Accepts Nassourdine Imavov Fight In Paris After All at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Backs Teammate Renato Moicano To Defeat Ex-Opponent Benoît Saint Denis In Paris: ‘Honestly, I Think He Submits BSD’

UFC lightweight star Dustin Poirier expects Benoît Saint Denis to lose a second straight fight to an American Top Team standout this fall. Poirier and Saint Denis shared the Octagon in the co-main event of March’s UFC 299 pay-per-view event in Miami. Supporters of the Frenchman tipped him to continue his rise at the expense […]

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Backs Teammate Renato Moicano To Defeat Ex-Opponent Benoît Saint Denis In Paris: ‘Honestly, I Think He Submits BSD’ at MMA News.

UFC lightweight star Dustin Poirier expects Benoît Saint Denis to lose a second straight fight to an American Top Team standout this fall.

Poirier and Saint Denis shared the Octagon in the co-main event of March’s UFC 299 pay-per-view event in Miami. Supporters of the Frenchman tipped him to continue his rise at the expense of the veteran contender.

But although he looked to be on track to doing so through one round, “God of War” faded in the second and ultimately fell to his first UFC defeat at 155 pounds by way of a brutal knockout.

“The Diamond” went on to ride that result into a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 last month. Saint Denis, meanwhile, recently had his chance to rebound confirmed, and it’ll see him up against ATT once again.

At the UFC Fight Night set for Paris, France, on September 28, Saint Denis is expected to headline in front of his home fans opposite the #10-ranked Renato Moicano.

Poirier and the ATT gym’s experience going up against Saint Denis could come in handy on fight night, and the Louisianan himself is expecting his team to go two up on the Frenchman…

Poirier Offers Moicano Helping Hand For Paris Prep

During a recent in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier addressed the confirmed matchup between his stablemate and recent opponent.

Having gotten the better of Saint Denis mere months ago, “The Diamond” revealed he’s offered to aid in the latter part of Moicano’s training camp.

And in terms of how he thinks the bout will play out at Accor Arena, Poirier noted his experience seeing the Brazilian’s jiu-jitsu talents in the gym to back a submission victory for him and ATT on September 28.

“I actually saw Moicano during International Fight Week. … I went and talked to him and I told him, if he needs help, I’ll fly back to Florida,” Poirier said. “I’ve been nursing a few injuries from this last one (against Makhachev), but I think they’re fighting in September. … So probably like, August or something like that, maybe end of August I can go help him out a few weeks.

“Honestly, I think he submits BSD,” Poirier continued. “His (Moicano’s) jiu-jitsu is really good. And he’s strong for that weight, and big.”

Moicano has shared similar confidence when it comes to his chances of departing France with a major victory added to his record.

While Saint Denis’ form pre-UFC 299 and early success against Poirier has left many backing him to bounce back at the Brazilian’s expense come fight night on September 28, Moicano is promising to upset the odds and spoil the night for the Paris locals.

Continue Reading Dustin Poirier Backs Teammate Renato Moicano To Defeat Ex-Opponent Benoît Saint Denis In Paris: ‘Honestly, I Think He Submits BSD’ at MMA News.

Brendan Allen Rejects Paris Bout As He Won’t Fight Below Moicano vs. Saint Denis: ‘One Coming Off A Loss, One Barely Wins’

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen appears set to decline a trip to the French capital after being snubbed of the main event slot. Allen, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 185 pounds, extended his winning run to seven in his first assignment of 2024, outpointing Chris Curtis in one of the year’s best fights […]

Continue Reading Brendan Allen Rejects Paris Bout As He Won’t Fight Below Moicano vs. Saint Denis: ‘One Coming Off A Loss, One Barely Wins’ at MMA News.

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen appears set to decline a trip to the French capital after being snubbed of the main event slot.

Allen, who currently occupies the #7 spot at 185 pounds, extended his winning run to seven in his first assignment of 2024, outpointing Chris Curtis in one of the year’s best fights to avenge his 2021 loss to “The Action Man.”

That result came in an Apex main event this past April, coming on the heels of two other main events at the low-capacity facility in Las Vegas.

And having had a taste of being on UFC Fight Night posters, Allen is now turning down high-profile matchups if he’s not headlining…

Allen Says No Main Event, No Deal For UFC Fight Night Paris

During a video recently uploaded to Instagram, Allen provided an update on his current status three months on from his latest triumph inside the Octagon.

“All In” revealed that he has been offered a top five opponent in the form of Nassourdine Imavov, with the promotion looking to have the pair do battle at the UFC Fight Night scheduled for Paris, France, this September.

That card recently had its main event reported, with the always entertaining Benoît Saint Denis expected to headline in front of his home fans in a lightweight joust against Renato Moicano.

Allen, however, believes he has more of a right to top spot on the lineup.

“This is for everyone that’s asking me what’s up, when am I fighting?” Allen said. “Two weeks ago, they said Imavov in Paris. I said yes. I said I want to be main event because I’ve main evented three in a row, won all three. I’m going into enemy territory, so if we’re going to do it for all the risk, all the gain, let’s go. Main event.

“Next thing you know, we see (Saint Denis) and Moicano are the main event. I ain’t f*cking going all the way to Paris for these two dudes to go over me. One dude is coming off a loss, the other one barely wins, bro. Nah, I’m not with it,” Allen continued. “So Imavov, if you want to fight, you want this work, whatever you want to call it, come on over to America, we’ll get it done. There’s no way we should be below these guys. I know it’s the Ultimate Followers Championship, but even though they got the followers, just put them on the card, people are going to come anyway.”

This marks consecutive years in which Allen has rejected main events against high-ranked opponents.

“All In” turned down a headliner against Roman Dolidze last September because he wanted a higher-ranked name. While the Georgian was #7 at the time, Allen went on to face the #13-ranked Craig.

This occasion has seen Allen refuse a showdown with the current #4-ranked contender at 185 pounds.

It remains to be seen who the Californian will share the cage with next, and whether his decision to turn down a top five opponent will stall his planned surge to the title.

Continue Reading Brendan Allen Rejects Paris Bout As He Won’t Fight Below Moicano vs. Saint Denis: ‘One Coming Off A Loss, One Barely Wins’ at MMA News.

MMA News Today: Dana White Hits Back At Claims UFC Is A ‘Monopoly’, Ranked UFC Fighter Legally Changes First Name To ‘King’, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 8, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Dana White Insists UFC Isn’t A Monopoly Because ‘Anyone’ Can Start An MMA Promotion During the long process of the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against the UFC […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Dana White Hits Back At Claims UFC Is A ‘Monopoly’, Ranked UFC Fighter Legally Changes First Name To ‘King’, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 8, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • White argues that UFC is the best at what they do rather than a monopoly
  • There’s a new “King” in the lightweight division
  • Top 15 lightweights scheduled for UFC’s return to Paris

Dana White Insists UFC Isn’t A Monopoly Because ‘Anyone’ Can Start An MMA Promotion

During the long process of the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against the UFC by former members of the roster, the case was granted class certification.

While a settlement was eventually reached, many concluded that the class certification validated the allegation that the UFC holds a monopoly over the sport. Unsurprisingly, the promotion disagreeds with that notion.

Dana White spoke out on this during a recent interview with Fox News, where he debated the idea that the MMA leader prevents others from being able to compete at its level.

He made the case that the UFC is simply the best at what it does, but that it’s not stopping others from trying to replicate the success achieved by the sport’s leading promotion.

“People have called us ‘monopoly’ and all this stuff for years. We’re not a monopoly, we’re just the best,” White said. “We’re the best at what we do, there’s no barrier to entry, anyone could get into this.

“You could start a league tomorrow and pay the guys whatever you want, you can do whatever you want but a lot of smart, talented, big business moguls have got into this sport and tried to compete with me and they couldn’t do it,” White continued. “But everybody — there’s no barrier to entry, anyone can get into this thing tomorrow.”

Bobby Green Officially Changes His Name To ‘King’ Green Ahead Of UFC 304 Return

Islam Makhachev sits atop the UFC’s lightweight division as the world champion and pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport. Now, however, 155 pounds has a new king.

#15-ranked Bobby Green made his intentions clear in the past that he was looking to change his name, but it has now been made official.

When he makes the walk at UFC 304 later this month to face Paddy Pimblett, he will do so under a new name, King Green.

He gave fans a glimpse of the official documentation on Instagram, which clearly shows that from this point on, he will answer to King and King only.

Renato Moicano Set To Face Benoît Saint Denis In Paris Over Five Rounds

The Octagon is set to return to the French capital for a third consecutive year, with UFC Paris going down at the Accor Arena on September 28.

Ag. Fight reported that top 15 lightweights will face off in Paris with France’s Benoît Saint Denis taking on Brazil’s Renato Moicano. MMA Junkie later confirmed that the contest is set to take place over five rounds.

It remains to be seen whether that marks the break of Ciryl Gane’s streak of Paris headliners, or if “God of War” and his Brazilian counterpart are set for a five-round co-headliner.

Moicano is riding a three-fight win streak from the #10 spot, while Saint Denis, who is two spots below him in the rankings, will look to bounce back from his defeat to Dustin Poirier in March.

Read more on the story here.

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